To transfer and change flights in India: Allowed or not?

Great post!! Really informative, not for me as all roads seem end in India. But great info for others.

That is indeed most helpful on the matter, Level; thanks

I changed planes in Mumbai 2 years ago, I flew in with one airline and flew out with another one. I had no Indian visa whatsoever. I made a point of telling the airline that I flew in with that I intended to change in Mumbai to a different airline (I told them before I got on board, when checked in, then as soon as I got off the airplane).

The airport authorities knew exactly what to do with me, they escorted me through back corridors to a hidden waiting room, full of people doing the same thing.

I took the further precaution of labelling my suitcase with the names and full details of both flights, with a request that the bag be transferred in Mumbai to the 2nd airline.

I had contacted the Indian embassy in the UK before booking to make sure I wouldn't need a visa just to transit. If you are waiting up to 7 hours then you don't need ANY visa. (you'll have to check on that time though).

An official called me out when I was waiting to verify that they had picked up the right bag, it was then taken to check-in for the 2nd flight.

There was nothing special about the airlines I chose, they had no connection or agreements between them for transfers, they just had 2 cheap flights (I bounced off India to go to Jordan from Thailand)

hey LEVEL, can you remember if spicejet and virgin have a baggage agreement? i want to fly from kathmandu to delhi with jetairways (or spicejet - i havnt booked this yet) as im booked to then fly from delhi back to manchester with qatar. as far as i can tell qatar have no interline agreement with anyone but was wondering if there'll be staff at delhi to help in this situation too.

its within two months of leaving india so no chance of a visa.
am stuck and dont have many other options. ive phoned delhi airport, the embassy and the airlines and no one knows anything or gives me conflicting advice.

please somebody help!
many thanks
xxxx

jazzebell... what happened with your situation? im wanting to flying kathmandu to delhi then delhi to manchester on different airlines in a few weeks... indian visa not possible. will my baggage still get transfered if theres no interline agreement? any help appreciated

xxx

Spice jet has no interline agreement(s) with other airlines for baggage.

http://www.spicejet.com/air-travel-baggage-faq.asp

Ask your international carrier in KTM, I think Jet might interline with some airline, if it is on the same PNR.

Level is right...I am Canadian, last Oct had two disjointed tickets from Van/Shanghai/Delhi on the first leg, Delhi/Kathmandu on the second. Was directed to the Transit lounge for the five hours between flights. I was flying to KTM on Jet, the Jet rep took my baggage tag numbers and rounded up my pack for me. I never saw it, or had to go out of transit. But the bag made it OK to KTM. I did not have a transit visa and did not get my passport stamped in Delhi. So unless things have changed...

Thanks for the info, Level.

Sab kuch milega and anyone else -

I'll be in this situation in a few days KTM to DEL with a 7 hour layover before my ongoing flight. I'm with two different airlines, and I'm no longer worried about getting my bags re-checked and my new boarding passes. However, I think I'm still confused about the use of the term "transit lounge". It's an airport, so one would think, as the original poster stated, that one should be able to utilize the facilities of an international airport terminal. As I'm in Nepal now, I've asked others who had layovers in Delhi without an Indian visa and they were not in a small "transit lounge" but in the terminal itself, obviously not going through immigration, jut a security check (like every other international airport terminal I've been to in transit around the world).

Has anyone been in this situation recently that can clarify what "transit lounge" means? It would just be nice to not be stuck in a confined space for 7 hours and be able to walk around and so forth.

I've scoured DELs airport website, which as you can guess, is useless.

Thanks, all!