What to do at the airport with a long transfer. What is the best time for a transplant? You do not need to leave the transit zone

Consider a transplant. Unfortunately, this scares some people away, and in spite of more favorable price, they get an expensive but direct flight.

Passengers are worried about whether they will have time to change seats? How to find your plane? Do I need to pick up luggage and go through passport control?

And now let's move on to the transplant ...

Your actions depend on whether you have one ticket (for example, Moscow-Berlin-London) or two different ones (and Berlin-London).

Transfer with one ticket

At the departure airport, upon check-in, you will immediately receive 2 boarding passes. One, for the flight from the airport of departure to the place of transit and the second, from the transit airport to the place of destination. Keep both boarding passes near your passport and try not to lose them.

On your boarding pass you will find all necessary information: flight number, gate number and your seat in the cabin.

After getting off the plane at the transfer airport, follow the signs that say “Transfer” or “Transit”.

If your destination is not a Schengen country and there is a designated transit area at the airport, you will be taken to the transit lounge where you will be waiting for your next flight.

If transit zone no, or your destination is one of the Schengen countries, then upon arrival you will immediately go through passport control. Please note that you have the appropriate visas. Read more about transit visas, when they are needed and when not.

Once in the transit lounge, check your boarding pass against the information board. Gate number and departure time are subject to change. Then follow the signs to the desired gate.

To avoid any hassle when transferring, first of all find your gate and only after that go for a walk around duty free and restaurants.

If there is a lot of time between flights, then you can pass it in the lounge. Sometimes it's cheaper than having lunch at an airport restaurant.

Do not forget to periodically look at the information board, the gate number and departure time may change any time.

If you are lost, do not hesitate to ask the airport staff for information.

Concerning luggage, then if you had one ticket issued for the entire route, then you will need to collect your luggage only upon arrival at your destination. If you need it earlier, for example to change, please ask for it when you check in for your flight.

The transfer time depends on the airport. In some, 20 minutes is enough, in others, an hour and a half will not be enough. But don’t worry, if you bought a through ticket, even with a short connection, then everything has already been calculated by the airline and if the plane’s departure is not delayed, you will have time.

If there is very little time left before the flight, then employees of some airlines meet such passengers right at the exit of the plane or bus and escort them to the next flight.

Transfer with two separate tickets

If you have compiled your route yourself and have 2 separate tickets in your hands, then you are not considered transit passenger. At the transfer airport, you should pick up your luggage from the belt and follow the signs to the exit (Exit). Then check in again for the flight and check in your luggage.

The transfer time should be taken with a margin, because in case of a flight delay you will not receive compensation or new ticket for missing the next plane.

Will the liquids bought in Duty Free be taken away at the transplant?

Questions often arise with goods purchased in Duty Free. There is no definite answer whether it is possible to carry liquids bought in duty-free shops in another country. It depends on the airport and country of transit. You can read more about this in the article about hand luggage or ask a specific question in the comments.

Transit zone- this is the space for passengers of connecting (transit) flights. It is located behind the passport control zone and is needed for those who transfer from one flight to another. At some airports, you can get into it without special documents, sometimes you need a visa. It depends on the visa regulations of the country in which the airport is located and the features of the flight.

Transit airports in Europe

It is with European transit airports Russian travelers encountered most often. The largest among them are:

• in London– Gatwick (Gatwick) and Heathrow (Heathrow), the latter - the busiest in Europe and the second in the world, serves more than 90 airlines, flights from here fly to 170 countries.
• in Amsterdam– Schiphol, the base for KLM, one of the most comfortable in Europe and the world, with a well-equipped transit area, but very long passages.
• in Munich- named after Strauss (Flughafen München Franz Josef Strauß), serves mainly European Lufthansa flights, has been recognized as the best in Europe several times.
• in Frankfurt– Frankfurt am Main (Flughafen Frankfurt am Main), serves mainly transcontinental Lufthansa flights.
• in Paris- Charles de Gaulle (Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle), one of the largest in the world, base for AirFrance and EasyJet.
• in Madrid– Barajas (Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez, Madrid-Barajas), connects the countries of Europe and Latin America.
• in the Stambul- named after Ataturk (İstanbul Atatürk Havalimanı), from where you can fly to almost anywhere in the world, except for Australia and some countries in Africa and Latin America.

What documents are needed?

From the transit airport you can leave if there is Required documents(transit or entry visa of the country). This applies to most countries in the world. However, some states can be visited in transit and without any documents. For example, up to 4 days are allowed to stay without a visa in Singapore and up to 3 days in China (and in Hong Kong even up to 14 days).

In addition, go to nearby city worth it only if there is a sufficiently large gap between flights. Practice shows that the gap should be at least 8 hours - this time is enough to leave the airport, get to the city, take a walk there for a couple of hours and calmly return back to go through all the pre-flight procedures. If there is less time for a transplant, then it is not worth the risk.

How to get out of the transit zone of the airport?

If you don’t want to waste time at the airport, you have the necessary documents for exit and time allows, then you can go to the city. To do this, you need to go through passport control and follow to the exit. On the way back, you will have to go through the necessary procedures again - passport control and security checks.

Most airports do not require special documents for passengers traveling in transit. But in some cases, travelers need transit or regular entry visas.

When are visas required?

Without transit visa will not be allowed to airports:

• Australia;
• Canada;

To transfer from one flight to another in one of these countries, you will have to go through transport control, that is, in fact, get into the territory of the state without even leaving the airport.

transit or entry Schengen visa needed:

• if there is more than one transfer on the territory of the Schengen Union (for example, on the route Moscow - Munich - Madrid - Rio de Janeiro), since in this case part of the flight takes place on the air territory of the community.
• When transferring at Berlin Tegel Airport as there is no transit area. This rule does not apply to those who fly Air flights Berlin.
• If during a transfer you have to move to another airport (for example, in Paris from Charles de Gaulle to Orly), because in this case the passenger must go to the city.
• For the UK and Schengen countries, if the duration of the transplant is more than a day.

A visa is required for those who are going to leave the airport and go to the city.

Visas are not required if:

Travelers remain at the airport while waiting for a transit flight.

• waiting time less than a day;
• one transfer is made on the Schengen territory (for example, on the route Moscow - Madrid - Sao Paulo);
• when changing in London if you have to move from Heathrow to Gatwick (or vice versa), and the transplant itself takes less than a day.

For any flight with a transfer in another country, it is worthwhile to clarify in advance whether a visa is needed at a transit airport. You can do this by going to the IATA (Air Transport Association) website.

A transit visa is issued at the embassy of the country where the transfer takes place. If 2 or more transfers are planned on the territory of the Schengen Community, then you need to contact the diplomats of the state where the first flight change takes place.

There are two options here.

1. If the flight is connecting, that is, both segments of the flight are operated by the same airline, then, as a rule, baggage between flights is taken care of by the airline's employees. The passenger, having handed over the luggage at the point of departure, should only receive it at the final airport.
2. If the flight is difficult (performed different airlines or you have to cross the border during the connection), then the passenger is obliged to receive the luggage after the first landing and re-check it in during check-in for subsequent flight segments.

Here is an example of a flight that combines both options: Moscow - Madrid - Rio de Janeiro - Porto Allegri. From Moscow to Rio via Madrid, the flight is operated by Iberia, and at Rio airport a transfer to a local airline plane is required until destination. In this case, you don’t have to worry about luggage at Madrid Barajas Airport, but in Rio de Janeiro, after passing through passport control, you need to get it, check in for the next flight and recheck your luggage.

If the luggage contains items that need to be declared, then the luggage at the transit airport will definitely have to be received and rechecked.

It also happens that transit has to be made not within one airport, but from one airport to another (for example, in Paris from Charles de Gaulle to Orly). In this case, you also need to pick up your luggage at one airport, go through passport control, move to another and hand it over at check-in.

During check-in for a flight, you should definitely clarify whether you need to receive baggage at a transit airport, and also carefully study boarding passes(for connecting flights there are several) and pay attention to the names of airports and terminals.

If the flight is operated by different airlines, then you should check with each of them the baggage allowance hand luggage(they may differ).

Having checked in your baggage at check-in, you need to check and carefully store the baggage tag, which is the only evidence presence of luggage.

Sometimes airlines lose luggage. This happens especially often during transit flights. In order not to be left without what is necessary for the duration of his search (usually it takes 2-3 days), it is worth putting the most valuable and necessary things in your hand luggage: a change of clothes, medicines, etc.

You can watch a good video about transit flights on YouTube:

The girl talks in great detail about the difference between docking and connecting flights and how to behave at a transit airport. Fans of good cinema and Tom Hanks can also watch the excellent film "Terminal" about a man stuck in the transit zone for a long time.

Quite often, passengers purchase tickets for connecting routes, which is due to many reasons. Sometimes there are no seats on direct flights, but it is necessary to fly, sometimes such flights are purchased in order to save money, since air tickets are cheaper. Many travelers thus prefer to explore the world, briefly getting acquainted with different countries.

A person who is going to make a transit flight usually has many questions, in particular, whether it is necessary to pick up luggage if the flight is with a transfer. Considering that there can be more than one transfer, the airline changes regularly at the docking point, indeed, it is not clear whether things need to be picked up and reissued for the next leg of the journey.

Passengers flying with stops along the way should navigate the connections different types. A transfer does not always mean only a change of an airliner in air harbor arrival. Therefore, the question of the need to move luggage is quite relevant. The most trouble-free flight will be operated by aircraft of one airline. An option would be flights of different airlines that are members of the same air alliance, operating flights within the framework of partnerships.

In this case, the flight attendants will tell you what actions to take in relation to things checked in the luggage compartment. You do not need to pick them up, even if the tickets indicate different air carriers. The airline staff will make the necessary changes themselves. Departure delay should also not be cause for concern, regular flights usually not delayed for long, the air carrier is responsible.

In this situation, the passenger will be required to check in baggage at the point of departure to the point of arrival. The only exception will be items subject to declaration. If such things are available, they will need to be re-registered at the airport where the transfer takes place. On the tag issued by the staff of the baggage handling department, you should check the data for compliance with the valid ones:

• how much the delivered items weigh;
• how many pieces of luggage does it take.

In case of loss of things, this piece of cardboard will serve as proof of their presence on board the aircraft. Otherwise, it is very difficult to prove that the baggage was handed over under the responsibility of the airline.

The next option is that flights are operated by different airlines that have nothing to do with each other. Here it is necessary to take into account all the details regarding the time of connection and baggage handling:

• It should be borne in mind that the docking is carried out by the passenger on his own, in other words, this is not so much a docking, but rather two different flights. It will be necessary to estimate in detail the time required to complete one flight and check in for the next. If the flight is international, then you will need to go through passport control and customs. In case of delay, the fault remains with the passenger.
• It is highly desirable to remember the approximate plan of the airport, since here things will have to be received, re-registered for the next segment of the route and handed over to the luggage compartment of another air carrier. This will take a lot of time, so it is better to take at least three to four hours between flights. The building plan, many signs can be found at the airport itself or ask for help from employees, however, this will be a waste of minutes.

Often there are situations when departure for a transfer is made from another terminal or even from another airport. This is also commonly referred to as self-docking, for which the passenger is responsible. For baggage claim, transfer to the next terminal, check-in, check-in of things again, possibly passing through customs procedures it will take about four hours depending on the popularity of the destination.

Moving to another terminal will take an unpredictable amount of time, depending on how long Big City you have to cross and how developed the transport network is in it, are there many traffic jams. In order not to get completely lost, it is advisable to look for advice on the forums of tourists passing through a specific transit point.

On average, it usually takes five to seven hours to complete all procedures calmly and without haste. When choosing air tickets, this issue must be taken into account.

If the country of entry accepts passengers visa regime, be sure to carefully study the rules for obtaining necessary documents. Usually, a visa is not required if a person transfers within the same air harbor without leaving the transit zone. If you need to move from one air hub to another or enter the city, you will certainly need a visa.

To receive and arrange things on your own, you often need a special transit visa, which is quite simple to do. When traveling with the same airline or partner airlines, their employees are responsible for baggage. Some states allow travel outside airports without a visa for a certain short period of time - from a couple of hours to a day.

To make the flight as easy as possible and to calmly go through the transplants will help the implementation of simple tips. Regularly flying people tell from their own experience what problems they encounter and how to avoid them. First of all, it is imperative to find out whether the air carriers operating the flight belong to the same group of airlines. Sometimes there are notes that the flight is made by a third party - here clarification of the details is simply necessary.

On the square of the baggage tag, in addition to general data, the final destination must be indicated. When packing, it is advisable to check the number of kilograms allowed for hand luggage and luggage compartment, included in the ticket price. In case of excess, you will have to pay an additional amount determined by the rules. It is easy to get the information of interest from the employees of the airline, employees of the airport - by phone, at specially designated counters, information windows.

Difference between docking and transfer

15.04.2016, 11:30

Direct flights are, of course, the most convenient and comfortable. But there are simply no direct flights to some parts of the world, and you can only get to them with a transfer. In addition, despite some inconvenience, transit flights have a significant advantage - flights with transfers are usually cheaper.
How does a transfer flight work, how does a transit flight differ from a direct one

• Direct flight- this is a flight when the flight from the airport of departure to the airport of destination is carried out on one aircraft.

• Transfer flight- this is the case when you fly to your destination on several planes, most often on two, and during the flight you will have a stop during which you will need to transfer from one plane to another.

Features of transfers depending on the airlines serving flights

• In case when the flight is operated by one company, you will first need to board the first plane of this airline, and at the transit airport, transfer to another plane belonging to the same airline. Such flights are also called connecting flights.

• In case when flights are operated by several airlines, you first board a plane of one airline, and at a transit airport, you transfer to a plane belonging to another airline. These airlines may or may not be affiliated with each other.

• If you are doing flights with partner airlines, you will have one itinerary receipt in your hands, in which both of your flights are included, and the airlines are responsible for connecting and transferring.

• If airlines are not affiliated with each other, itinerary receipts there will be two - for each flight separately, and it is no longer the airlines that are responsible for the connection and transfer, but only you.

How is baggage handled on a connecting flight?

If itinerary receipts will be two, then you will need immediately after arrival at transit airport collect your luggage on your own, and then check it in again when boarding the next flight.

Moreover, if you are transporting items subject to mandatory declaration, then at the transfer you will also have to receive luggage and check it in again at connecting flight.

Where exactly does the transfer to another plane take place

Another plane in the same airport terminal

most convenient and fast option transfers during the flight - for a transfer you will not need to leave either the airport or the terminal.

Another terminal at the same airport

This option is less convenient and a little more complicated than the first - here you will need a little more time to orient yourself and move to another terminal.

Other airport

The most difficult transplant option. How does a transfer flight work in this case? In order to transfer to another plane, you will need to move to another airport, and this will require Extra time and requires special attention and preparation before the flight - you will need to study the route to another airport, visa rules transit countries and possibly get a transit visa.

All about transit and baggage handling on a connecting flight

For some, flying is a journey, pleasure and adventure, for others it is a few hours of tedious journey to your destination. And if a flight on one plane is an experience familiar to most tourists, then a transit flight often causes fear and anxiety for many travelers. In fact, a flight with a transfer is not as scary as it seems at first glance, and in some cases it turns out to be the most the best option. As a rule, a transit flight will allow you to save on a ticket, sometimes very significantly. In addition, there are many places in the world where a direct flight cannot be reached, and if you are a true adventurer and crave interesting trips, then you simply cannot avoid flights with transfers. Let's look at how a transfer flight works, how luggage is checked in during a transit flight, and some other rules. transit flight.

Transit rules

A transit flight implies an intermediate point between the place of departure and the final destination of the journey, where the passenger will have to change one aircraft for another. In this case, different scenarios for the development of events are possible.

The first is when all segments of your flights are operated by one airline or partner companies, members of one air alliance. In this case, you can get all the necessary information from the crew members and employees of the airline (for example, Aeroflot airline provides enough detailed information according to the minimum connection time for the airport on its official website). In addition, the airline is responsible for flight delays, and if you miss your connection due to the delay of the previous aircraft, they will definitely send you on the next available flight.

The second is when flights are operated by different airlines that are not related to each other in any way. In this case, you will have to pay more attention to travel planning, since you will be responsible for being late for a connecting flight.

Regardless of which airlines you use for your connecting flight, always carefully calculate the time required for transit. Remember to leave more time before international flight to pass passport and customs control. Know the transit airport well. Arrival and departure can be carried out in different terminals, and maybe at different airports. In this case, think in advance about how you will get from one airport to another.

It will not be superfluous to study the layout of the terminals so that the huge size of the transport hubs does not come as a surprise to you.

Visa for transit flight

Thoroughly study the visa rules of the transit country. Sometimes a visa is needed only if you are going to leave the airport (for example, if you need to enter the city to move to another airport for departure). In other cases, a visa is needed to exit the transit zone - and if you need to receive and re-register luggage on a transit flight to the next flight on your own, this means that you will leave the transit zone. Some countries require a transit visa for any flight with a transfer in its territory (for example, the United States).

Transit baggage

Baggage rules for transit flights also depend on the operating airlines and the airports involved. If you're traveling on a single ticket, you'll most likely be able to check in your baggage to your final destination and have the airline take care of it. Be sure to get your luggage in waypoint when flying with transit and again on your own, you will need to check it in for the next flight if you are transporting things that are subject to declaration.

If you are flying on different tickets, or the transit airport does not allow you to send luggage directly without your participation, you will also have to take care of your luggage yourself. Consider these circumstances in advance when planning the time of docking.

As you can see, the rules for a transit flight are quite simple, and require only a little attention. We hope that this article helped you figure out how a transfer flight works, and a transit flight will allow you to save money on your trip.