Re-entry, visa for 1.5 hours. Chances?

[bagrov]

Hello there!

 

I have Estonian passport. I don’t need a visa if I enter Thailand for 30 days or less.

3.10 is the last day of my Thai visa.

I am leaving the country and going to Laos tomorrow.

On 13-14.10 I need to go to Myanmar.

Since there is no way to enter Myanmar directly from Laos I want to go by air (Luang Prabang — (Thai Lion Air) — Bangkok, Bangkok — (Air Asia) — Yangon).

The time between flights is about 1.5-2 hours.

Will I have any problems with this transfer? I would need to collect my baggage so I believe I will have to technically enter Thailand again.

Of course I will have tickets with me. Last time I was in Thailand was January-February 2016 (I extended the stay).

 

Thank you.

Edited October 1, 2016 by bagrov

[allane]

I assume that both your arriving flight and departing flights must be at the same airport. You will be told to stay in the transit area at the airport, so you will not pass through Immigration, and legally speaking, will not have entered Thailand.

[Moonlover]

Your flight schedules suggest to me that you will be 'in transit' , meaning that you plan to remain in the international area of the terminal. If this is the case you will not need to re-enter Thailand at all.

 

You should not need to collect your baggage yourself. Go to the transfer desk to check in and present your baggage tags. They should arrange to transfer your baggage for you. I've done this quite a few times. Never had a problem.

 

Have a good journey.

[bagrov]

Yep, in Bangkok I will arrive at Don Mueang and the connecting flight departures from it as well.

What if I need to check in the baggage?

[Moonlover]

1 minute ago, bagrov said:

Yep, in Bangkok I will arrive at Don Mueang and the connecting flight departures from it as well.

What if I need to check in the baggage?

 

Didn't I just cover that? I'll say it again. The transfer desk will arrange that for you. Relax.

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, bagrov said:

Yep, in Bangkok I will arrive at Don Mueang and the connecting flight departures from it as well.

What if I need to check in the baggage?

I am not sure they have a transit hall at Dom Mueang. I suggest you check with Thai Lion air about it.

[bagrov]

1 minute ago, Moonlover said:

 

Didn't I just cover that? I'll say it again. The transfer desk will arrange that for you. Relax.

Your post wasn’t there when I wrote mine.

Thank you very much.

[bagrov]

1 minute ago, ubonjoe said:

I am not sure they have a transit hall at Dom Mueang. I suggest you check with Thai Lion air about it.

I was a bit wrong. I am flying to Bangkok with Air Asia and from there I’ll have Nok Air. Sorry.

[Moonlover]

4 minutes ago, bagrov said:

I was a bit wrong. I am flying to Bangkok with Air Asia and from there I’ll have Nok Air. Sorry.

 

Ok folks. Step by step.

 

Bagrov, when you arrive at Dom Mueang, follow the 'transit passengers' signs. (Or signs to that effect, they do vary. Sometimes they 'International transfers. '). These will guide you through a closed loop to the departure side. Locate the transfer desk and present them with your Nok Air ticket and your baggage tags. They will guide from there on.

 

Thousands of passengers do this in airports throughout the world. It's routine.

 

Good luck.

[Moonlover]

Oh and one more thought. When you check in at Vientiane, tell them you will be in transit at DMK. They may have transfer arrangements with other airlines. Some do, some don't.

 

At the very lest they may put an 'in transit' tag on your baggage to prevent it from going through to  the baggage hall.

[BritTim]

I stand to be corrected, but I do not think  Nok Air is a full service airline with a transfer desk in the transit area. In fact, my reading of their page at http://nokair.com/content/en/services/Connecting-Flight.aspx suggests that they can only handle international transfers on a very limited basis, and not with Air Asia. It is just possible that they may be able to make special arrangements, but I doubt it where checked baggage is concerned. If they can at all, expect extra charges.

[Moonlover]

47 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I stand to be corrected, but I do not think  Nok Air is a full service airline with a transfer desk in the transit area. In fact, my reading of their page at http://nokair.com/content/en/services/Connecting-Flight.aspx suggests that they can only handle international transfers on a very limited basis, and not with Air Asia. It is just possible that they may be able to make special arrangements, but I doubt it where checked baggage is concerned. If they can at all, expect extra charges.

 

Yes, you're probably right on this BritTim, but you're confusing airline services with airport functions.

 

All international airports have systems in place to enable transit passengers to pass through their airport without having to enter the country. In airport parleé, they remain airside. That is the function of the afore mentioned 'transfer desk'. It works on behalf of all airlines to ensure that passengers and their baggage are moved on to their next flight.

 

I've done this many times, in many airports, including Dom Muaeng (In its previous incarnation), when I was flying from Riyadh to Penang.

 

[heretostay]

Not sure anyone mentioned the FIRST step in this process - the passenger needs to ask the check-in desk at his departure airport to check his luggage through to his final destination.  Once that's done, yes, he goes through the transit hall at DMK and proceeds to the transit desk or to his ongoing flight's departure gate.  Be sure that the luggage tag on the bag has the final airport in big letters at the bottom!

Bon voyage.

[bagrov]

1 hour ago, heretostay said:

Not sure anyone mentioned the FIRST step in this process - the passenger needs to ask the check-in desk at his departure airport to check his luggage through to his final destination.  Once that's done, yes, he goes through the transit hall at DMK and proceeds to the transit desk or to his ongoing flight's departure gate.  Be sure that the luggage tag on the bag has the final airport in big letters at the bottom!

Bon voyage.

So just to make 10000% clear:

 

When I am in Luang Prabang, I will be checking in my bag with Air Asia, BUT I have to ask them to send my baggage all the way to Vientiane even though I am flying with Nok Air. Right? It just sounds so confusing.

[bagrov]

As it turned out Don Mueang sort of has online support (chat). I talked with a support agent and here is what she said:

[Moonlover]

7 minutes ago, bagrov said:

So just to make 10000% clear:

 

When I am in Luang Prabang, I will be checking in my bag with Air Asia, BUT I have to ask them to send my baggage all the way to Vientiane even though I am flying with Nok Air. Right? It just sounds so confusing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Bagrov, you are being misinformed. Please see my post ID 10. You cannot through check baggage when switching airlines, unless they are alliance partners, which these two are not.

 

As I have already mentioned, let Air Asia know that you will be in transit at DMK and they will tag your baggage 'in transit' which will stop it going on the carousel. It will be held until you've checked in with Nok Air at the transfer desk. That's why you need to present your baggage claim tags.

 

It amounts to the same thing of course. It will end up on your flight to Yangon. Good luck.

[bagrov]

I guess I will have to go to the carousel after all.

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2016 by bagrov

[bagrov]

Here’s another one.

So yeah the only choice I have is to find another flight.

 

[BritTim]

4 hours ago, Moonlover said:

 

Yes, you're probably right on this BritTim, but you're confusing airline services with airport functions.

 

All international airports have systems in place to enable transit passengers to pass through their airport without having to enter the country. In airport parleé, they remain airside. That is the function of the afore mentioned 'transfer desk'. It works on behalf of all airlines to ensure that passengers and their baggage are moved on to their next flight.

 

I've done this many times, in many airports, including Dom Muaeng (In its previous incarnation), when I was flying from Riyadh to Penang.

 

I have also done international transfers many times, and I am not claiming that Don Muang has no facilities for such transfers. What I am claiming is that airlines can choose whether or not to make use of those facilities (which costs them money). There is no such thing as an airport transfer desk. You need an airline transfer desk. A full service airline will almost always have one when allowed. Many budget airlines do not. Air Asia does support transfers at Don Muang (though not at some other international airports). and Nok Air to Air Asia could possibly work, but not (I believe) visa versa  I have heard of cases where an airline without a transfer desk will send staff through specially to help a stranded passenger, but I do not think it feasible for them to do so where checked baggage is involved.

Edited October 1, 2016 by BritTim

[2fishin2]

Proper terminology Is connecting flight, not " fly-thru"


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[Arandora]

Unless the flights are on one ticket or the airlines have interline agreements between them whereby they agree not only to transfer luggage but also to accept the financial responsibility of putting that luggage and passengers on the next available flight if a connection is missed due to a late or cancelled incoming flight, the luggage will not be transferred and passengers have to collect it, clear Immigration and check in again for the next flight.

Low Cost Carrier airlines (LCCs) have no such agreements as with the exception of AirAsia FlyThru which issues one ticket for certain routes, all tickets are separate ones. 

In this case the OP has different LCCs , on two tickets and cannot remain in transit and unless his first flight is about an hour early will have no chance IMO in making the next flight with a 1.5 hour connection. 

[billp]

Arandora is correct. Air Asia and Nokair (and other LCCs at DMK) are point-to-point carriers which in principle sell you one ticket to one destination and do not do transfers of you or your luggage to any other flight including one of their own. The sole exception is Air Asia, which offers a limited number of "Fly-Thru" connections in which it transfers baggage from one of its own flights to another Air Asia flight, NOT to another carrier. (And yes, "Fly-Thru" is the terminology Air Asia uses.)

 

Full-service airlines which have interlining agreements (not just alliance partners) do make transfers from one airline to another IF both connecting flights are on the same ticket. If the flights were booked separately, they MAY offer a transfer as a courtesy to passengers, but they're not obliged to. As an example, Bangkok Airways used to routinely interline luggage from intercontinental full-service carriers onto its Siem Reap, Chiang Mai and Samui flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport even if the flights were booked separately, but put a stop to that earlier this year. Now passengers on separate tickets have to claim their baggage, pass through Immigration and check in landside.

 

I'm shocked at the amount of outright misinformation in this thread being passed off as advice to a traveler who would have gotten into hot water if he had followed it.

[psyvolt]

Bill is absolutely right. Not sure where Moon is getting his information from, but pls don't follow it Op, as its incorrect.

[allane]

I raised my eyebrows when I read that the OP said he had only 1.5 hrs. between flights, but I said to myself, " I guess he must know what he was doing." (in terms of the transit time). That is why I refrained from commenting on the baggage issue.  My thanks to those who pointed out that Low Cost Carriers are low cost for a reason, or perhaps I should say for many reasons.

Once, on an international connecting flight, when my first flight was substantially late, I was whisked through a large airport in a golf cart, and they must have done the same with my bag.And, because both flights were with the same airline, they may have kept the door on the second plane open for a few extra minutes, because they knew I was coming.