Bangkok Transit Experience - what happened?

[medhead]

I've just had a new experience with my trip to Bangkok. My experiences with the transit desk have made me wonder if I did something wrong. It certainly seemed to confuse the transfer desk staff. Also ended up with a new, slightly different boarding experience.

As background I recently did the following flights: Arrive in BKK on JQ evening of day 1, Day 2 BKK-SIN-BKK, then JQ BKK-MEL. I had 9 hours overnight in BKK on Day 1, then no more than 2 or 3 hours in any other airport. As such I didn't see the need to actually enter any country. At BKK I used the transit lane, and transfer desk.

On arrival in BKK, I found a lounge, and settled down for a sleep. Then went to the transfer desk when it opened a couple of hours before my onward flight. The transfer desk person asked about my inbound flight. When told JQ they said it was impossible to do the transfer as there is no agreement between the inbound JQ and my outbound airline (MH). As I had no checked luggage, I couldn't see the issue. I just needed boarding passes for the outbound flights. Eventually, 3 phone calls later and I had boarding passes. On returning to BKK, again back through transit to the transfer desk. There was less of an issue this time. But they still wanted the BP from the inbound flight, which resulted in puzzled looks but eventually the JQ BP was handled over. Did I do something wrong here? What is the connection requirement between inbound and outbound for transiting? If any.

I wonder if I should ask JQ for a refund on the BKK immigration fee?

The interesting addition to this story is that on boarding the JQ flight, my BP and passport was checked including the JQ staff member holding up the passport to compare the picture to my face. He did this for everyone. But he then handed my passport over to some Australian guy, who asks "You're one of these people who love flying, aren't you?"
Me "Yes".
Him "Quick turn around flight."
Me "Yes" Thinking do I say it's a love/hate relationship? Do I tell him about KUL/SIN?

Him: Opens passport, looks at the photo using a magnifying light thingy for all of 1.4 seconds. Hands back the passport and says find.

What was that all about? No issue about what I might be carrying. Apparently, the issue was the integrity of my passport.
I did think the first transit desk lady was put out that I didn't actually have to go out to check in for the flights to SIN. I did try thanking her profusely to cover any issue about being wrong on that, but I think she might have flagged me for checking. She didn't really get the idea that I was just there to go flying.

 

[moa999]

Nothing particularly wrong. Suspect that they are just required to check that baggage is actually being interlined, which JQ wouldn't, obviously not an issue for you.

Presume the overnight airside might also flag some additional checks (they often have a flight list of who they expect to see at certain times - once got the second degree in Singapore till they realised flight had arrived early).

Assume on Plus fares?

 

[medhead]

That was my thought as well. But even after I said no checked luggage, the first transfer person said it wasn't possible to arrive on JQ and leave with MH as there was no agreement. Anyway, worked out in the end. Just wondered if I did something wrong on my first time doing this sort of thing.

Yes, on plus fares.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I've just had a new experience with my trip to Bangkok. My experiences with the transit desk have made me wonder if I did something wrong. It certainly seemed to confuse the transfer desk staff. Also ended up with a new, slightly different boarding experience.

As background I recently did the following flights: Arrive in BKK on JQ evening of day 1, Day 2 BKK-SIN-BKK, then JQ BKK-MEL. I had 9 hours overnight in BKK on Day 1, then no more than 2 or 3 hours in any other airport. As such I didn't see the need to actually enter any country. At BKK I used the transit lane, and transfer desk.

On arrival in BKK, I found a lounge, and settled down for a sleep. Then went to the transfer desk when it opened a couple of hours before my onward flight. The transfer desk person asked about my inbound flight. When told JQ they said it was impossible to do the transfer as there is no agreement between the inbound JQ and my outbound airline (MH). As I had no checked luggage, I couldn't see the issue. I just needed boarding passes for the outbound flights. Eventually, 3 phone calls later and I had boarding passes. On returning to BKK, again back through transit to the transfer desk. There was less of an issue this time. But they still wanted the BP from the inbound flight, which resulted in puzzled looks but eventually the JQ BP was handled over. Did I do something wrong here? What is the connection requirement between inbound and outbound for transiting? If any.

I wonder if I should ask JQ for a refund on the BKK immigration fee?

The interesting addition to this story is that on boarding the JQ flight, my BP and passport was checked including the JQ staff member holding up the passport to compare the picture to my face. He did this for everyone. But he then handed my passport over to some Australian guy, who asks "You're one of these people who love flying, aren't you?"
Me "Yes".
Him "Quick turn around flight."
Me "Yes" Thinking do I say it's a love/hate relationship? Do I tell him about KUL/SIN?

Him: Opens passport, looks at the photo using a magnifying light thingy for all of 1.4 seconds. Hands back the passport and says find.

What was that all about? No issue about what I might be carrying. Apparently, the issue was the integrity of my passport.
I did think the first transit desk lady was put out that I didn't actually have to go out to check in for the flights to SIN. I did try thanking her profusely to cover any issue about being wrong on that, but I think she might have flagged me for checking. She didn't really get the idea that I was just there to go flying.

I'm a little confused... so correct me on anything I have wrong here...

On arrival from Australia on the JQ flight, where exactly did you end up while waiting to get your boarding pass for the MH flight? Without a boarding pass were you in the arrivals concourse? I'm just slightly confused because you said you found a lounge... which I think means an airline lounge... which should only be available in the departures area.

Without a valid boarding pass you shouldn't have been in the departures area - so if that was the case, that would be a flag.

As for closely checking the passport... with an itinerary such as the one you mention, they may have been suspicious you were trying to enter Australia on a false document... and slip through passport checks by staying 'in transit' in Bangkok. It is not unknown for people to use a valid passport to get airside, then pick up their false documents from a contact airside, and then try to board the plane.

The boarding pass to give at BKK after your flight from SIN sould have been inbound MH boarding pass... but you seem to indicate you gave the JQ one frmo the day before when you arrived from Australia? If that was the case, it would provide a flag, as they would think you have been hanging around the transit area for 24 hours, with no purpose other than to board the flight back to Australia. The Australian embassy has reps monitoring most flights to Australia (staff in the boarding gate lounge) - so it might be that JQ staff were making doubly sure.

 

[medhead]

I'm a little confused... so correct me on anything I have wrong here...

On arrival from Australia on the JQ flight, where exactly did you end up while waiting to get your boarding pass for the MH flight? Without a boarding pass were you in the arrivals concourse? I'm just slightly confused because you said you found a lounge... which I think means an airline lounge... which should only be available in the departures area.

Perhaps some info missing from my post. But I did say that I used the transit lane on arrival to BKK from Australia. I also said that I used in again on return from SIN. So I used it legitimately both times. In the case, of the on the first arrival from Australia, use I then found and airline lounge. In this case with the MH BP obtained from web check in, the same BP that I used at the transit lane.

The second transit in BKK was more of an issue, but the person guarding the transit lane let me passed on the basis of my JQ itinerary. No BP in this case.

Without a valid boarding pass you shouldn't have been in the departures area - so if that was the case, that would be a flag.

As per above I had a legitimate BP the first time. The issue raised then was not having a legitimate BP but that there is no agreement to transfer from JQ to MH. This is my puzzlement, I just wanted BPs for the onward flights, I could see no need for an agreement between JQ and MH.

On the return no legit BP, to access the transit security lane, this being obtained at the transfer desk on the other side. But the guard didn't seem to see this as a problem. Well worth mentioning that a person vetted my entry to the transit lane on both occasions.

As for closely checking the passport... with an itinerary such as the one you mention, they may have been suspicious you were trying to enter Australia on a false document... and slip through passport checks by staying 'in transit' in Bangkok. It is not unknown for people to use a valid passport to get airside, then pick up their false documents from a contact airside, and then try to board the plane.

Interesting theory. The JQ flights were on an itinerary that originated in Australia, booked in my name. So I entered BKK in my name using the same passport that I was exiting on. As such I didn't get airside on a different passport.

The boarding pass to give at BKK after your flight from SIN sould have been inbound MH boarding pass... but you seem to indicate you gave the JQ one frmo the day before when you arrived from Australia? If that was the case, it would provide a flag, as they would think you have been hanging around the transit area for 24 hours, with no purpose other than to board the flight back to Australia. The Australian embassy has reps monitoring most flights to Australia (staff in the boarding gate lounge) - so it might be that JQ staff were making doubly sure.

I did give them the MH BP. The inbound BP caused puzzled looks, before the JQ BP for the JQ flight returning to Australia was eventually handed over. I could've used more words to describe the sequence of events. I can see that it is possible to read eventually handing over the JQ BP as meaning me handing over the BP for the JQ flight into BKK, without those extra words. But I'm not sure that they'd have puzzled looks before seeing the JQ BP, under that interpretation. As per the arrival the connection from MH to JQ caused the puzzled looks. Sorry for not properly explaining to start.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Interesting theory. The JQ flights were on an itinerary that originated in Australia, booked in my name. So I entered BKK in my name using the same passport that I was exiting on. As such I didn't get airside on a different passport.

Well - that is puzzling then! You wouldn't think you'd need an interline agreement to hand over from JQ to MH. Not sure what happened.

Going back to the passport examination... perhaps they saw an AU-BKK-AU, with a potentially lengthy transit in BKK (if they chose to ignore the side trip to SIN).

I suppose it is possible that 'genuine Medhead' arrived into transit and gave passport to 'non-genuine' Medhead to return to Australia (with 'genuine medhead' then travelling onwards on another passport etc). Who knows!

 

[medhead]

Well - that is puzzling then! You wouldn't think you'd need an interline agreement to hand over from JQ to MH. Not sure what happened.

Going back to the passport examination... perhaps they saw an AU-BKK-AU, with a potentially lengthy transit in BKK (if they chose to ignore the side trip to SIN).

I suppose it is possible that 'genuine Medhead' arrived into transit and gave passport to 'non-genuine' Medhead to return to Australia (with 'genuine medhead' then travelling onwards on another passport etc). Who knows!

I probably should've asked the Australia guy who checked the passport to explain. I couldn't see any official looking ID on him, so I probably should've said something when BP scanning guy handed my passport to a "stranger". It did feel as if the BP scanning guy was looking for my name. But that stranger did pick me as someone who loves flying on first sight. So perhaps the flag went up as you suggest, but the guy just knew when he saw me. I think he checked only one or two other passports.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Those guys from the aus embassy are often there at BKK especially for the JQ flight

 

[Cynicor]

They are Aussie border force/ customs and immigration. You see them in SIN sometimes too.

I believe you are not meant to access the transit lane, and they are not meant to let you through. But they do, then you end up at a desk and get told you need to enter the country and checkin at the regular desks. At a guess, the issue improbably with the funding of the transfer desks but if you have no luggage there should be no other issues. Same happened to me but they wouldn't budge so I had to enter the country, then checkin at the departures hall.

It's weird and not streamlined like with SIN where they don't care how you arrive.