Brother flying to Khon Kaen - Clearing Immigration etc.

[JamieP]

My brother will be coming out to visit me for the first time next month, he will be flying on Thai Airways through Suvarnabhumi.

Someone has said to me that as there are no passport controls at Khon Kaen, he will have to clear immigration and customs at BKK?

What is the procedure for this?

Will he have to collect his bags at BKK and then recheck them for his flight to KKC?

Help please

[Costas2008]

Khon Kaen is not an international airport and only has domestic flights.

So your brother will go through immigration at Suvanabumi and when he comes out he has to go to the 4th floor and check in with Thai airways to Khon Kaen.

No immigration at khon Kaen airport.

And yes, he has to collect his bags from the international flight and re-check in with Thai to Khon Kaen.

[JamieP]

Thanks,

[JLCrab]

Make sure that his flight on Thai Airways to KKC originates at BKK and is not a Don Muang flight.

[JamieP]

I checked that already, it's BKK.not DMK.

[KhunBENQ]

How long is connecting time?

Guess you/he are from a visa exempt country, so Immigration is just showing the passport and getting a 30 day stamp.

After passport control he picks his bags and walks past customs (checks are rare).

[JamieP]

Nearly 5 hours connection time so more than enough. (Touch wood)

[KhunBENQ]

So tell him, that after checking in his baggage and receiving boarding pass (possible at all times), he should NOT hurry to the domestic terminals (passing security), but wait until about 45 mins before departure.

Domestic terminal is boring like hell.

Some optiions to spend time in the main hall.

[JamieP]

Everything went as expected.

Now, in the return direction things should be slightly easier?

He should be able to check his bags through but still go through immigration at BKK?

[KhunBENQ]

Fairly dead this travel forum

What is for sure:

He has to go through immigration at Bangkok.

Its on the 4th floor departure hall.

There are two entrances from the hall, one on the left side and another far right (bit of a walk usually).

You can see the queues from outside.

My observation some 4 months ago:

If the left is very busy its worth walking to the other entrance on the right.

Much less busy,

What is likely:

baggage will be checked through.

What I don't know for sure is, whether he will get a boarding pass for the connecting flight in Khon Kaen already or whether he has to checkin at Suvarnabhumi.

Its a couple of years that I left the country, so simple not sure / forgot.

Hope some frequent traveller will be able to answer these trivial questions.

The Thai Air FAQ etc. is a nuisance!

Tons of useless information, but I can't find answers to this trivia.

Edited April 23, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[JamieP]

Hmm....

I was hoping it's possible to stay airside at Suvarnabhumi. Time will tell, I suppose.

[JLCrab]

As the domestic and international are completely separate terminals at Suvarnabhumi, I doubt that it would be possible to stay 'air-side'.

It was several years ago when I used to fly the Thai Airways non-stop BKK to JFK, but it was not possible then to check-in at Khon Kaen baggage and boarding passes for the international flight. You had to both again at BKK.

That all plus you have to go through Immigration at BKK anyway -- there is no such facility at KKC.

Edited April 25, 2015 by JLCrab