Transfer flight. Transit flight: everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask

It's no secret that flights are not always direct. Very often, passengers have to fly from one country to another with a transfer in a third country: for example, in January 2018, we flew in this way from our native city Samara with a transfer at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul

Read our article:

Transplants can last from 3 hours to a day or even more. Why do people choose such flights if it takes them so much time? There are 2 possible answers to this question:

1. Such tickets are usually cheaper than direct flights, and they are chosen by people who are limited in money, but not limited in time.
2. - a great way to learn almost for free new country. Of course, in order to enter the city, you must first make sure that you do not need a visa for this (for example, Russian citizens do not need a visa to Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.) There is also the opportunity to obtain a special transit visa: for example, when changing in Singapore at.

Transfer in Istanbul: do I need a visa?

Russians can enter Turkey without a visa for up to 60 days. And this means that if you have a Turkish Airline or Pegasus Airline ticket (these two Turkish companies make international flights with transfers in Istanbul), then you can safely go to the center of Istanbul between flights and see.

We go to any flight search service, for example, Skyskanner and drive in the desired direction. For example, we are looking for tickets from Tbilisi to Samara. We drive in the date of departure, the city of departure and arrival and press "Search". We see several options for flights with a connection in Istanbul, we choose the most suitable one: so that the transfer is daytime and as long as possible:

It is worth knowing that Pegasus airline planes arrive at Sabiha Gokcen Airport (and then depart from there), and Turkish Airline ships arrive at Ataturk Airport. In fact, the difference is only in the time to get to the city center: you can get from Ataturk in just half an hour (from there the metro goes to the city), while you will need to lay an hour and a half to get from Sabiha Gokcen Airport to the city (depending on traffic jams). We talked about how to get to the center of Istanbul from Sabiha Airport. Therefore, if you are flying with Pegasus, we advise you to choose longer connections.

What you can see in Istanbul during a transfer

If your transplant is in Ataturk airport and you flew with Turkish Airlines, then you are very lucky. Because in this case you are entitled to a free city tour (we will discuss it in detail in the next paragraph).

If you flew to Sabiha airport and want to arrange a city tour on your own, it is important to accurately calculate the time. On the way from the airport to the city and back, you need to lay down 3 hours (read our article about), plus one more hour to check in for the next flight. In total, 4 hours must be subtracted from the transfer time. The rest of the time you can spend walking around the city. If you did not fly with Turkish Airlines, then the self-guided tour plan may be the same as described below, but you will need to lay 2 hours instead of 4 for the road from and to the airport.

All the main attractions of Istanbul are close to each other, so it should take no more than 2 hours to see them. This is subject to only an external inspection of the places, because it is possible to inspect the Topkapi Palace alone with a harem inside for 2-3 hours:

Pierre Loti hill and view of Istanbul

And if you want to see the best sights not only in Istanbul, but throughout Turkey, we recommend visiting. There you can enjoy the best creations of man and nature that are on the territory of the Turkish state.

If your transfer is in Istanbul, and it’s too cold to walk around the city for so long, we recommend visiting several non-banal places where you can warm up and have fun:

Free Istanbul Tours for Transit Passengers from Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airline transit passengers are entitled to a free city tour.

By the way, this airline provides its transit passengers with a free hotel when transferring in Istanbul for more than 10 hours (for economy class passengers) or 7 hours (for business class passengers). This service is available only if the airline does not have a flight to the destination you need within 10 hours. If there is a flight, but you did not choose it (for example, because it was more expensive), then you will be provided with a hotel.

But back to the free tour. It is provided to all transit passengers whose transfer in Istanbul is not less than 6 hours and not more than 24 hours. Your flight must be international and all segments of the flight must be operated by Turkish Airlines. And one more thing: the transfer must be during the day, no excursions are conducted at night.

To arrange a tour, you need to go through passport and customs control after on the Hotel Desk (it is located near the Starbucks cafe). You must register for the tour no later than 30 minutes before the start of the tour.

In total, Turkish Airlines offers 5 types of city tours:

Tour 1. Time from 8:30 to 11:00. The tour includes a visit to the following attractions:

• Yedikule Fortress,
• Old Samatya Armenian Quarter (Old Samatya Armanian District),
• Walls of Constantinople
• Eminonu area,
• photo stop on the Galata Bridge (10 minutes),
• Dolmabahce Palace (20 minutes of free time are given for external inspection),
• taksim square,
• Galata Tower,
• Golden Horn Bay,
• Valens aqueduct,
• port of Yenikapy.

Tour 2. Time from 09:00 to 15:00. The tour includes free breakfast and lunch. Attractions:

• Blue Mosque,
• Topkapi Palace,
• Hippodrome Square,
• german fountain,
• snake column,
• Obelisk of Theodosius.

In addition to the excursion itself, the tourist package includes entrance tickets to the museum and meals.

Tour 3. Time 09:00 to 18:00.

All the same as in tour 2, plus the Basiliqua Cistern and the Grand Bazaar.

Tour 4. Time from 12:00 to 18:00. The tour includes lunch.

What attractions are included:

• hill and cafe Pierre Loti
• Eyup Sultan Mosque and Eyup Square
• Byzantine city walls
• Sahaba burials in Ayvansaray
• Blacheran Church of the Mother of God
• walk through the Jewish quarter of Balat
• Church of St. Stephen
• Synagogue Ahrida
• Greek Orthodox School "Great School of the Nation"
• Orthodox Church of Constantinople

Tour 5. Time from 16:00 to 21:00.

The tour includes only visual inspection attractions:

• port of Yenikapy,
• Beyazet square,
• university,
• Beyazet Tower,
• old book market
• Grand Bazaar,
• Chorlulu Ali Pasha Mosque,
• Tomb of Mahmud II
• Column of Constantine
• Hippodrome Square,
• german fountain,
• egyptian obelisk,
• snake column,
• Obelisk of Theodosius,
• Blue Mosque,
• Saint Sophia Cathedral.

After visiting these sights, guests will have dinner and return to the airport.

All tours are conducted in English.

If you have chosen an indirect flight, then this means that you will have to fly with a transfer. For those who are still afraid of transplants or do not know everything about them, I will try to sort them out.

If you are flying with a transfer, then you are moving from city A to city B, while landing in a completely different city on the way to point B. In this case, you get off the plane, go to the airport, and then board another plane. Naturally, total time flight when flying with a transfer increases. But the ticket, as a rule, becomes cheaper.

And it is simply impossible to get to some places in this world without a transfer. Therefore, if you are going to fly at all, you should know as much as possible about transfers in advance.

"Transfer" may also be referred to as "Docking" or "Transfer" (rarely "Transit"). In addition, at every airport in the world there will be an inscription in English, by which it will be possible to understand where you need to go to get to the transfer, and not accidentally leave the airport - look for the inscriptions "Transfer" or "Flight Transfers" or "Flight Connections" or "Connecting Flights" (or rarely - "Transit").

Once again about terminology.

Transfer is a change of board during the flight from one point to another using 2 or more flight arms.

What is a flight shoulder?

The flight leg is the part of the route carried out without landing an aircraft. Accordingly, if your ticket has only 1 shoulder, this is a direct flight. If 2 or more, then you are flying with a transfer (after all, the plane lands and exits the plane).

Important transfer points:

1. Transfer within one terminal of one airport.

Everything is simple here. For example, you arrive at Sheremetyevo Airport (Terminal F) and depart from Sheremetyevo Airport (Terminal F). AT this case everything will be easy and simple. After exiting the plane, you will need to follow the signs "Transfer" and the like.

These signs will take you either to the common departure hall or to a special area for transit passengers. There you will need to find a scoreboard / screen where the flight departure times, flight numbers and boarding gates are indicated. Next, go to the desired exit (you found the exit number on the scoreboard / screen) and wait for boarding the flight.

Such a transplant takes the least time.

Whether the transfer takes place at the same airport/terminal, you must find out either when buying an air ticket, or find it in the form of an air ticket issued to you. If the departure terminal is not indicated on the ticket, during the day before departure you will need to go to the website of the airport where the transfer is made and look at the arrivals and departures board (or enter the flight number). It is necessary to check, of course, both flights. Since you have to make sure that the arrival of one flight and the departure of another flight takes place in the same terminal.

If your transfer takes place in a small town / airport, then most likely there is only 1 terminal at this airport. Such airports are, for example, in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn.

*small and cozy Tallinn Airport

But there are pitfalls here too. There are small airports without a transit zone. For example, the same Tallinn airport.

This means that if you are flying from Russia via Tallinn to a visa-free country, you still need a Schengen visa, as you will have to go through customs immediately upon exiting the plane.

This is neither good nor bad. Simply, if you do not have a transit country visa, when buying an air ticket, you need to check at which airport the transfer takes place and whether there is a transit zone there. Such information on any airport is easy to find on the Internet.

2. Transfers happen in different terminals and even different airports

Things are more complicated if you find out that the ticket at the airport or terminal of arrival and departure, in the city of your transfer, contains different values.

Let's take Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport as a first example:

In Moscow Sheremetyevo, you can fly in, for example, to Terminal F, and fly out of Terminal D. It seems that there are different terminals, but when you go to the airport website and look at the official map of the airport, you will immediately understand that there will be no problems. In this case, the terminals, although different, are located in the same place, are one group of buildings and are interconnected. Therefore, in this case, you just have to spend some time walking from one terminal to another. And, most likely, you will have to go through the security service again.

But if you arrive, for example, at Terminal C, and depart from Terminal D, then everything becomes more complicated. As you can see from the diagram, the terminals are located on different sides of the runway, which means that you will need to somehow get from one terminal to another. And it won't be just an easy ride.

I want to note right away that there are quite a few airports in the world where you need to get from one terminal to another by public transport or taxi.

In the case of Sheremetyevo Airport, a bus runs from Terminal C to Terminal F every half an hour. He goes 10-20 minutes. That is, for such a transplant, you need to lay at least 2 hours of time.

At some airports, such as Frankfurt am Main, a mini-train runs on a monorail between terminals. In any case, different terminals mean that, firstly, you need to know how to get from one terminal to another (this information is easy to find on the airport website or on various forums), and secondly, that your transfer must last at least couple of hours.

But that's not all.

Things are even more fun if your transfer involves a change of airport.

For example, again, it is easy to take the Moscow aviation hub, which has as many as 3 large airports. And all are located on different sides of Moscow. If you arrive at Vnukovo and your next flight is from Domodedovo, then your transfer time must be at least 4 hours. In general, this will not create any additional problems for you. Only time costs. If you are a citizen of Russia.

But then again, if you are a citizen of Russia, and you will have a transfer at different airports in another country. This is a good reason to check the visa regulations of a given country.

Imagine that you are flying from Moscow to Rio de Janeiro with a transfer in Frankfurt. If the transfer takes place within this airport, then you do not need any visas.

Now imagine that you wanted to save money and found chip flights in Rio with a transfer in Madrid, and suddenly it turned out that you were arriving at the Girona - Costa Brava airport, located 90 kilometers from Barcelona, ​​and flying to Rio from the El Prat Barcelona airport. This means not only that you will have to travel about 100 km for a transfer (which, by the way, is very easy to do, in just 2 hours with one bus transfer), but also that you will have to obtain a Schengen visa for such a transfer. And this can both level your savings and complicate the trip due to the need to obtain a visa.

Routes from one airport to another by public transport are easily found by Google:

If you already have a visa, then there is no problem.

By the way, about the airport "El Prat Barcelona".

Even if you have a transfer only within this one airport, but in different terminals ... you still have to get a visa, since the terminals of this airport are located on different sides from the airfield (almost like in Sheremetyevo) and are interconnected by a free bus service. And this means that you will have to leave the airport, and therefore set foot on Spanish soil, which is the territory of the Schengen agreement :) So, again, you need a Schengen visa.

It is possible that in these examples everything seems complicated. And yet, everything is much simpler. I'm considering different examples. In your situation, you will only need to check one ticket. Preferably before buying :) And if you are satisfied with the transfer conditions, buy a ticket. Or choose another ticket.

If a difficult transfer was found in an already purchased ticket, we just look at what needs to be done for such a transfer, find on the Internet how to get from one point to another and voila! :) Everything is easier than it seems. And in any case, such situations are always easily solved. Although it requires additional gestures, I do not deny :)

But after all, independent travel initially requires your body movements :) That's why it turns out cheaper and more interesting!

In addition, transferring at different airports is not always difficult and hard.

After all, such a transplant can be the beginning of a good or. In the same example about Girona and Barcelona - for some it will be an exhausting transfer, and for others it may be 2 additional beautiful Spanish cities on the way to Brazil. It all depends on your tastes and wishes.

3.Boarding pass

Almost always, at the check-in desk at the very first airport of departure, you will be immediately checked in until the end of the route and boarding passes will be issued for all flights.

You may not be checked in for onward flights if your layover lasts longer than 24 hours. If a child is flying with you without a seat, you may also not be registered for further flights. If you bought two separate tickets, if the transfer takes place in different terminals or different airports, you can also be checked in only for the first flight.

That does not prevent you from going through online check-in on your own for each flight separately. If that doesn't work, then there's no problem. Just at the airport of departure after the transfer, go to the check-in counter and check in as usual! That's all :)

Yes, it's that simple.

By the way, some budget airlines do not sell tickets with transfers even for their own flights. That is, they can only sell 2 separate tickets. So, for example, does WizzAir, flying from Moscow to Hungary. And they also do not provide transit halls. That is, according to their tickets, in any case, you need to pass the border, present a Schengen visa and check in again for the second flight at the check-in desk. Even if you are flying through Budapest to visa-free Georgia.

If you are flying with a non-budget company and with a transfer within the same terminal or at a small airport, and you were still checked in only for the first flight, then at the transfer, go to any airport employee, to the information desk or to the transit / transfer passengers desk - and there you will be issued a boarding pass.

Everything is simple here.

4. Transfer time.

Even if you are not going to organize for yourself or, you still need to be attentive to the transplant time.
Subject to the above, your transfer may sometimes require you to collect your luggage and check it in again, or move from one terminal to another. In this case, you may not have enough time if the transfer lasts only 30 minutes or even an hour and a half. And if a transfer involves a change of airport, then, as I already wrote, it can take several hours for a transfer.

But even if you don’t need to pick up anything, and you don’t need to change the terminal or airport, surprises can still await you :)

For example, in international airport Dubai (DXB) only from one exit to another I walked for about an hour :))) That was very unexpected. I couldn't imagine that an airport could be THAT gigantic. It's good that I had a transplant for several hours! It turned out that on the way there it was simply unlucky with the exit of the arriving plane and the exit of the departing plane. They ended up at different ends of a huge airport built in the form of a long sausage :)

This airport looks like this:

On the way back, the transfer was only 45 minutes. And I thought that everything was gone :) In the end, on the way back, we were not even taken out of the plane! We just sat and waited 45 minutes for the plane to refuel and bring additional passengers to it. Apparently, the airline knew that we would not have time to change the board during the transfer :) In general, look carefully at the size of airports when choosing long transfers.

In Tallinn, for example, I managed to change seats in half an hour, taking into account passport control :)

5. It happens in different ways. Delays and delays.

However, in the same Tallinn I had a transfer in 20 minutes. And I didn't have time :)

But my ticket was sold for both flight legs of the same airline - in that case, Estonian Air. And both flight legs were sold as part of a single ticket. This means that the airline is responsible for my transfer, and if I do not have time, then by law they ... have to come up with something to solve this situation :) I was checked in for the next flight in the same direction, which departed 2 hours later, and We were given a food voucher worth 10 euros.

Coupons are different, for example:

Photo sources: vm.ru and ru-travel.lj.ru

If I flew in the evening, and the next flight would only be in the morning, then they would provide me with a hotel. These are the rules in the European Union.

If you have a short layover in a non-EU country and you're worried you might miss it, then before (or after) buying, look for something like "[Country] flight delay policy". In all countries of the world there should be a regulation describing the behavior of airlines in such cases.

In general, if one company sold you a single ticket with a short transfer, and you did not have time to change seats during this time, then you should be transferred to the next flight and this is considered as a flight delay due to the fault of the airline.

If you bought two separate tickets, then you are responsible for the transfer. So, if you do not have time, you will buy a new ticket at your own expense.

If you bought one ticket, and at the same time two flight legs are operated by different airlines, then there are already discrepancies here.

How to understand if the airline is responsible for the transfer or all the risks are on you?

This is the most hidden information on the Internet, but I’ll tell you especially for you. In fact, everything is simple:

The answer is the airline under whose code the ticket was issued. If the codes are different, then the responsibility is on you.

Airlines can be completely different, but at the same time they can be part of the same aviation alliance and there can be a special codeshare agreement between them. This means that they can fly on different flights under the code of the airline that sold the ticket (even if, in fact, the flight is operated by another airline).

For example, I found a copy of a real ticket on the Internet. Here is an example of such a ticket:

As many as three airlines are participating! FlyBe, FinnAir, Bangkok Airways - as many as 2 transfers in each direction.

But pay attention to the Flight column - it says “AY ****” everywhere. "AY" is the airline code. In this example, FinnAir is responsible for all transfers and flights.

If the codes were different, then the responsibility would already lie with the passenger. For example, if the first flight would have the code SU2401, and the next one would have the code AY2502, then connecting between these flights would be your concern.

6. Other

At the very beginning, I wrote: "... so that you do not accidentally leave the airport." So, if you accidentally went not for a transfer, but left the airport, then you should not despair.

Firstly, if you cannot leave the airport for visa reasons, then they will not let you out :) In this case, you will be politely told where to go to get to the transfer.

If you have a visa and you can get out ... and at the same time you left, but did not want to ... then you can always and easily go back with a ticket or boarding pass. You just need to go through security again.

7. Transfers with visas.

Not everywhere you can make a transplant without thinking about anything.

For example, in Australia, the USA or Canada, in order to make a transfer even at airports with transit zone you still need to get a visa! Yes, they even have a special transit visa for these cases. And for such a visa, you also need to collect documents and spend money on its issuance.

Be aware of such nuances and always check if the country of transplantation does not require a transit visa.

On the other hand, in some countries where you need to get a visa, you can make not only visa-free transit at the airport (as in the EU countries with airports that have a transit zone), but you can even get the right to free visa-free transit within 2-3 days!

Such rules for visa-free 2 or 3-day transit exist, for example, in many major cities China and Singapore. Thus, flying through them to a third country, you can visit new places for yourself completely free of charge and without problems. But in such cases, it is the transit somewhere further that is taken into account. If the ticket is round-trip, for example, Moscow-Singapore-Moscow, then they will not let you in without a visa.

Pro transfer baggage I will tell you separately. And even so, there is already too much information for one article :)

If you have questions, objections or additions, I will be glad to see them in the comments. Your comments will be especially helpful if I made a mistake somewhere. Yes, I'm not perfect :)

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It often happens that there are no direct flights to the route chosen by the passenger. This is especially true for flights on very long distance. In this case, the traveler is offered to purchase a ticket with transfers at the airport. And if the procedure for flying on one plane is clear to many and does not raise questions, then a transit flight often makes tourists nervous and worried.

In reality, a flight with a transfer is not as scary as it might seem at first glance, and in some cases it turns out to be the most optimal way get from point A to point B.

As a rule, a flight with a transfer allows the traveler to save time and money, sometimes even very significantly. We will tell you about how a flight with a transfer takes place in this article.

Rules for flights with transfers at the airport

Air travel in transit implies the presence of an intermediate point (points) between the place of departure and the final point of the route, where the passenger will need to change one aircraft for another.

In this case, two scenarios are possible. The simplest and most convenient of them is when all flight segments are operated by one airline or partner companies, and the passenger flies along the entire route on one ticket. In this case, he checks in once and receives boarding passes for all segments of the flight.

All manipulations with baggage are the responsibility of the airline. The passenger only needs to get off the first plane, go to the transit area, wait for the next flight to start boarding and take his seat.

In this case, the airline is responsible for the flight delay, and if the passenger is late for the connection due to the delay of the previous aircraft, it will be obliged to send him on the next available flight.

Everything is much more complicated if a passenger flies on two unrelated tickets. In this case, he should pay more attention to travel planning, since the passenger is responsible for missing the connecting flight.

If for some reason you cannot fly with the same airline, you should choose a transfer option with a sufficient time difference - at least 3-4 hours to catch the second flight, even if the first one is delayed.

How to carry luggage on a transit flight

The procedure for carrying baggage also depends on whether different segments of the flight are connected to one flight or not. If the flight is carried out on a single ticket, then most likely the traveler will be able to check in baggage to the final destination, and he will receive his baggage upon arrival at the destination.

If a passenger flies on different tickets, he will have to take care of his luggage on his own. At the transfer point, he will receive his luggage, after checking in for a flight of another company, he will check in his luggage again and go through passport control.

In large unfamiliar airports, even experienced travelers can get lost.

Those that can be found are almost always tickets with one or more transfers. So choosing a ticket with a transfer is the easiest way to save money on a trip (if you didn’t have time to buy a ticket for a promotion or on sale). Today I want to talk about how to fly with transfers and some features of flights that you should not forget about.

When buying tickets, first of all, pay attention to tickets in which all flight segments are operated by one airline or airlines that are members of an alliance. In this case, most possible problems associated with transplantation is eliminated. Even if the first flight is delayed and you miss the second flight, the airline is obliged to put you on the next plane.

If you buy two separate tickets (for example, Moscow-Madrid, Madrid-Cancun), then you need to be extremely careful and prepare in advance for the flight.

Be sure to consider the following points:

1. Visa requirements. Always check visa requirements at Timatica. I wrote in detail about how to do this.

2. List of documents. In addition to visa requirements, find out what other documents you may need at the transit point in order to be allowed on the next flight. These can be printed tickets, electronic permits, return tickets, credit cards etc. For example, when we flew through Helsinki, at the airport we were asked to show confirmation that we were really flying on and not staying in Finland at the baggage check. I bought an electronic ticket, and no itinerary receipts we did not have. Boarding passes were only for the first segment of the flight. So it turned out that there was no confirmation of a further flight. Then, nevertheless, I found in my mail a letter from the airline indicating the cities of departure and arrival and the date. The surname was only in the title of the letter, there were no passport data, so in fact it was difficult to call this letter a document. And yet, we were lucky, and we were still allowed into the transit zone. After this incident, I learned a firm rule: ALWAYS print out all possible documents and confirmations that may be needed at the transit point.

3. Baggage check-in.

It is necessary to find out in advance whether you need to receive luggage at the transit point and check it in again. If you need to check in your luggage again, this immediately means that you will have to leave the transit area, which means that you will need a valid visa, which is required to visit the country. It is better to do this before arriving at the airport, because airline employees may mistakenly tell you that the luggage is checked in to the final destination. For up-to-date information about transit points, see the forums and the official website of the airport where the transfer will take place.

4. Baggage allowance. If different airlines provide different segments of the flight, then find out the baggage requirements for each company. Because, for example, the maximum weight and dimensions of hand luggage may differ, as well as the allowance for checked baggage.

5. Transplant conditions. Find out in advance how the transfer will be carried out - is it one airport or several, one terminal or different, what is the distance between the terminals, how and on what to get from the point of arrival to the point of departure, if the terminals are far from each other.

6. Transfer time. Allow more time for a transfer - the first flight may be delayed. It all depends on the conditions of a particular transplant. It's one thing if you arrive and depart from the same terminal - here in most cases 2 hours will be enough for a transfer, and it's quite another if you need to get from one airport to another - even 5 hours may not be enough here. Again, read the experiences of people who have already flown this route - but keep in mind that your transfer may take longer, so plan well. It's better extra time spend at the airport than frantically run to your flight with the risk of being late for it.

7. On-line check-in for the flight. To save time at the airport, check in for all flights online in advance. Find out how long before the departure of the aircraft online check-in begins and set yourself reminders. It will be great if you manage to check in for the 2nd segment of the flight in advance, so as not to spend extra time at the transit point (and this is not always possible, for example, due to the large time interval between the first and second boarding). However, if you have a single ticket, then most likely you will be offered to check in for both flights at once and will be issued boarding passes for all segments of the flight at once. But different airlines different rules, so check in advance on the airline's website if you can check in online.

8. Stopover. If possible, make a stopover and leave 1-2 days for a transit transfer (during this time you can see the city, take a break from a long flight and definitely catch the second plane).

9. Duty Free. Do not buy liquids in the duty free of the original point of departure if you are going to leave the transit area at the transfer point, and you are going to carry the purchases in hand luggage. Even if the packages are sealed, you may not be allowed on the second segment of the flight.

2. How is the transfer within the transit zone

So, you have arrived at the airport where the transit transfer, what to do next?

2.1. First of all, find departure board(Departures) and find your flight.

If your flight is already on the board, then remember the gate number (Gate), as well as exact time departures. It is possible that the flight is delayed and you have a little more time left. And if your flight is not yet on the board, then after the inspection, go to the counter for transit passengers.

2.2. Go through inspection. Here you may be asked to show the contents of your hand luggage and here you can also withdraw all liquids with a volume of more than 100 ml (even those bought in the previous duty free). Again, with luck, they may not check. You need to find out about each airport separately.

2.3. After the inspection, you need to follow the arrows Transit(You do not plan to go out into the city) to get into the transit zone.

2.4. Once you are in the transit area, first find out where the the output you want, and then, if there is time left, you can walk around duty free shops or look into a cafe.

2.5. If your flight was not on the board of departing aircraft, then you need to find a transit counter(again, focus on the Transit sign) or the airline counter. You can find it on the airport maps or simply by asking the airport staff at the ticket check desks (next to the boarding gates). At the transit counter, be sure to check what time your flight arrives and what the boarding gate will be.

2.6 . If you don't have a boarding pass, then you can print it at the transit desk (or get information where you can do it), at self-service machines or just before the boarding gate.

This is where your transfer will end - the baggage will be transferred to your flight without your participation, you only need to reach the desired boarding gate on time. By the way, for safety reasons (and especially if you have little time for a transfer), it is advisable to print out the airport transit zone map in advance in order to roughly represent the location of the exits and immediately know where to go.

3. How is the transfer with the exit from the transit zone

If you want to walk around the city where you plan to transfer, or you need to get to another airport (or terminal) of departure, then you will have to leave the transit area. You will most likely need to pick up your luggage, but not always, so find out in advance if this is necessary.

3.1. So, you have arrived at the airport. Pass inspection first.

3.2. If necessary, go to the baggage claim and pick up your luggage.

3.3. After you have collected your luggage, go to passport control. Here they will check your documents, a visa (if it is required to visit this country), they can ask general issues about the purpose of the stay and / or ask to show a ticket to the next point. If all the rules have been met, then you will be given an entry stamp and you can leave the airport for the city.

3.4. If you plan to stay in the city for a few days, and will fly out of the same airport, then it is best to leave your luggage in storage room and take only the things you need with you.

3.5. If you need to get to another airport (or to another terminal), then together with your luggage go to desired airport . If you do not have local currency with you, then it is better to withdraw a small amount directly at the airport so that you have cash with you. How and on what you need to get to the airport - find out in advance. When choosing transport, keep in mind that you may well get stuck in a traffic jam by taxi or bus, so if possible, use the metro or train.

3.6. When you arrive at the departure airport, the further procedure will be no different from a normal direct flight.

4. How to calculate the transfer time if you need to leave the transit area?

Always plan ahead!

The transfer time is made up of the following activities:

4. 1. Time of baggage claim. Baggage claim can be greatly delayed, sometimes luggage arrives only with the next flight. So if you are flying with a transfer and you can only check in your luggage for one leg of the journey, you might want to consider flying without luggage, only with hand luggage. But if you still have luggage, then allow more time for baggage claim. Read reviews about a particular airline, how often luggage delays occur, at which airports this happens, how long luggage can be delayed, etc.

4.2. Passport control time.

It all depends on the case - in front of you in the queue there can be either a couple of people or a whole crowd. So you can stand in line for 5 or 40 minutes.

4.3. Travel time between airports (terminals). Think in advance at least 2 ways how you can get to another airport. If you plan to go by taxi, then plan your time taking into account the search for a taxi and possible traffic jams. If you are going to travel by public transport, then add the waiting time for transport.

4.4. The time of check-in for the flight and passing through all inspections, as well as passport control at the airport of departure. If possible, check-in for your flight online to avoid the check-in queue. Even if you have luggage, the time for check-in will be reduced, because. at many airports, luggage check-in takes place at a separate counter, and the queue there is much shorter.

4.5. By the time received add at least an hour for any unforeseen situations.

Hello! Recently a reader asked me interest Ask about a long transfer at Istanbul airport. I tried to answer as detailed as possible, and then decided to post the answer on the blog. Don't waste good!
The question went like this:

Surely, in your trips you have encountered a change of airlines. Tell me, is it possible, during transfers in another country, to go outside the airport, take a walk around the city? I have a long layover in Istanbul and I would not like to sit at the airport all the time; (there are a lot of reviews on the Internet and everything is contradictory, I hope you clarify the situation

I encountered such situations and even adjusted them specifically to see one more city on the way to the final destination. Travelers even have a special term "stopover" - a stop at an intermediate point, lasting more than 24 hours. But this is not exactly what the blog reader was interested in.

Let me explain the point. Stopover is not just buying two tickets with a long transfer, it is one ticket with a prearranged stopover service. At the same time, the ticket price does not change, and the airline helps you in obtaining a visa, offers a transfer and a hotel.

The most popular stopover cities are Dubai, Istanbul, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur. So what? Cool! You fly to one country, and you look at two at once.

Let's get back to the question at hand.

It all depends on the country and the amount of time for a transplant. If you have a transfer in Helsinki, but you don’t have a Schengen visa, then you won’t be able to enter the city. In the case of Turkey, everything is simple - a visa is not needed and no one will detain you. Or let's say - Moldova. When changing in Chisinau, you can absolutely safely go to the city. The visa regime between our countries involves the presence of Russians on the territory of Moldova for 90 days without a visa.

The only limitation left is time. We need to soberly assess the situation. How many hours between planes? And if we take into account passport and customs control? What airport are you arriving at and is there an airport change? How long does it take to get to the city center? Is the transfer from the airport good - shuttles, metro, etc.?

In the case of Istanbul, a lot depends on the airport of arrival. Mostly tourists tend to the area. There are the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Cistern and Topkana Palace. There is a metro from Ataturk Airport, which increases mobility. From " there is a bus + ferry. It's at least 1 hour round trip (Istanbul has terrible traffic jams).

Total: we set time for unloading from the plane, passport control, luggage (if you need to pick it up), transfer to the center, a walk, transfer back, a full pre-flight inspection procedure. Don't forget that check-in for the flight closes in 45 minutes! It is better to take care of this in advance. If at the exit there is 45-60 minutes left, then you will have time for everything. This time will be your insurance in case of force majeure.

Is it possible to leave the airport during a long layover? Can! But you need to carefully plan and calculate everything.