Immigration check

Good info. Some more curiosity on what you wrote:

Meaning that it is *not* likely that we will be allowed to do immigration check in Delhi?

Can know the status where - AI check-in desk in Toronto or Delhi? Related to that - if she's booking luggage in Winnipeg with Air Canada en route Toronto(from where its AI all the way to Kolkata), she needs to know *in Winnipeg* whether immigration check is at Delhi or Kolkata. If it is Delhi, and the luggage gets booked through to Kolkata, what happens if there is problem with immigration (hopefully not) and she is delayed in Delhi and getting to Kolkata by a later flight? Booking luggage to Delhi is not safe either, because if immigration is in Kolkata, we won't even be allowed to go to conveyor belt in Delhi and then I don't know how the luggage will reach Kolkata.

As an aside - I do not intend to change my mind in the middle of the flight...perhaps that's why I am trying to figure things out now? Thanks for your suggestions

Trouble is I need to know in Winnipeg (to Toronto by Air Canada; from there Toronto to Delhi and Delhi to Kol by AI) where to book the luggage to.
Normally its synchronized till the port of entry. But if you are saying the luggage can be booked to Kolkata, maybe I am wrong?

You mean it is not a "domestic" flight as such, carrying passengers start and end their journeys within India? That would make sense, everything being done at the international terminal, including possibility of transit, and arrival being at international terminal at Kolkata.

Jajkoski, I think you worry too much. Whatever will happen will happen. You have to know whether you baggage will be transferred or not, else you risk getting on a plane without it. You do not need to worry about immigration/customs: you only need to know that it will be imposed on you, as you (or your partner) won't be allowed into the country without it.

So, yet again, I say, forget about immigration clearance, you don't need to think about it.
Many of these questions don't really need to go on after an answer from nycank: he knows the business!

Honestly, I throw up my hands !!!! First Air India; now Air Canada. This is an airline that was allowed by gummint to buy Canadian Air. I dont know.

It all depends on the ticketing and what is in the PNR. I do not have any idea how this itn. was ticketed. Typically, if done online or through telephonic sales; Air Canada (AC) would as a Star Alliance partner, do winnepeg, toronto,frankfurt on AC metal and from FRA it would transfer the pax to Lufthansa for a non-stop to Kolkatta. So ? Was this a Travel-Agent crafted ticket ?

You know, when one thinks they have figured out the normative rules; there comes an airline to upend it. The connector in AI 22, is a domestic flight, an Airbus, which fulfills or even plugs gaps between two airports DEL & CCU for other international carriers along with their own.

Kingfisher runs a connector flight out Mumbai fed mostly by AF/DL/CX and others who need to get their pax from where ever to DEL as soon as possible. This flight does not diddle around with immigrations shell games. Jet Airways 9W, has its one concept of connector - They call it Jet Konnect which again is no frills old Sahara without any food.

The fact is flying Ai toronto to delhi to kolkata, the check luggage tag should be final destination is CCU. No way will you will be in delhi to claim your checked luggage. Only immigration will be done at ccu.
Make sure your papers are in order, India will welcome you with open arms.

Here I am..finally in Kolkata sharing my experience of what finally happened:
1. At Winnipeg baggage could be booked through to Kolkata; though they put AI 764 instead of AI 22 saying that's the info they have
2. At Toronto, had to lineup for the boarding pass for Toronto to Delhi and Delhi to Kolkata. Also had the AI staff change the baggage from AI 764 to AI 22.
3. At Delhi, no option for a immigratio nor customs check. Spent 5 hours in the transit terminal (and hae no qualms about it since its perhap the best airport I have seen in my life);
4. Immigration and customs in Kolkata. Worked like a charm, no separate channel for international / domestic travellers. Everyone went through the same counters.

PS - food was very good. Service was remarkably well.

very interesting. 5 hours in transit wow ! Chalk it for AI rules. AI 22 is then a connector flight. Any idea if the Toronto Delhi flight deplaned pax headed to Amritsar ? or they were in the plane ?

delhi airport is one of the finest airports of the world to me.
the onward passengers are deplaned and re board at the terminal to the destination. The plane has to be cleaned and refreshed.
AI did a good job on that aspect, giving least hassle to their passengers.

I came to Bangalore in 2007 from Chicago via Mumbai. At Mumbai, they took all the transit passengers through some corridor and gates and loaded us to another flight to Bangalore. I think AI has simialr feeder flights to other locations. The lugagge was loaded into the Bangalore flight. The customs and immigration was completed at Bangalore.

Since you are coming in AI all the way through, they may do the same. When we asked them in Chicago, they told us that the immigration will be at Bangalore.

This was in 2007 and not sure if they have changed the procedure.

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to clarify that some AI domestic flights carry BOTH domestic and international (pre-immigration) passengers. Domestic passengers exit using only their boarding passes, which prove they are domestic. I have experienced this as far back as 1996 (I was going to abandon my boarding pass in the seat pocket; I'm glad I didn't).

I am not quite sure how they prevent an accomplice from boarding the flight as a domestic passenger and then taking possession of contraband brought in by an international passenger. It would have to be kept in carry-ons, since I am sure checked baggage tags are examined to verify domestic/international origin.

MUM is Mumias airport in Kenya, quite a detour!