How does a transfer flight work? Transfer flight What does it mean with a transfer

One of the most frequently asked questions by those who like to travel by air is: "How does a transfer flight work?". This is really interesting, because every second tourist has encountered flights with a connection in his life. What you need to know, what subtleties exist in such flights? Let's dive in and find out all about transit flights.

What does a connecting flight mean?

A connecting flight means an intermediate point between the airport of departure and the final destination. For example, you need to get from St. Petersburg to Orenburg. First, there is only one direct flight. You can choose it and fly with the Rossiya airline, but the problem is that the ticket costs 2 times more than for flights with transfers.

Transit flights

There are different. Consider two possible scenarios:

All flights are operated by the same carrier or partner airlines. In this case, you can receive all the necessary information from them. For example, when buying an S7 ticket online, on the official website you will see information about the minimum connection time that you will need to know. It is S7 that takes responsibility for flight delays. If you do not have time for a transfer, you will not be left in trouble: they will offer you to stay at the nearest hotel and put you on another plane on the next flight.
Flights are operated by different airlines. How does a transfer flight work? Baggage, check-in, the consequences of late aircraft - in this case, everything lies with you. If you miss your plane for any reason, you will have to buy a ticket for another flight again.

Always think ahead of all possible circumstances and situations that can happen to you. If the transfer is made at another airport in the city, do not forget that you need at least 2 hours to complete the transfer. Consider traffic jams (if it is a metropolis or a large city), accidents and more.

Advantages of transit flights

Many tourists choose flights with transfers. Reviews about them are different, both positive and negative. Let's take a closer look at what is good about people who often fly connecting planes.

Transfer is cheaper

One of the main advantages of transit flights is the affordable price.

For example, you want to get from Moscow to Seoul. A direct flight to Incheon airport costs 22,000 rubles. We study the prices of flights with transfers:

Transfer at the airport "Tolmachevo" in Novosibirsk. S7 Airlines (Russia). Ticket price - 17 thousand rubles.
Transfer in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines (Turkey). Ticket price - 17500 rubles.
Two transfers: in Belgrade and Abu Dhabi. Air and Etihad Airways (United Arab Emirates). Ticket price - 18900 rubles.

As we can see, even with two transfers, flying to Seoul is cheaper than taking a ticket for a direct flight.

Availability of an alternative

What to do in the situation with Orenburg if there is only one flight to your destination? People are used to the alternative. Tourists want to choose a ticket based on the time of departure and arrival, the presence of luggage and hand luggage, the airport, the air carrier, and the price of the ticket. And here again it is transit flights that help us out.

Only decision

Sometimes it is not possible to buy a ticket to the city you want to visit. For example, because it is too far away. Then transit flights come to the rescue.

For example, you want to get to Sochi from Nizhnevartovsk in autumn. But direct flights in this direction are carried out only in the summer.

How to get to Sochi from Siberia with transfers?

Flights from Nizhnevartovsk to Moscow are carried out by several airlines at once: Aeroflot, S7 Airlines, Yutair, and Severny Wind.
Now you can fly to Sochi at any time. Flights from Moscow are operated regularly.
You can also fly to Sochi from Tyumen, arriving there from Nizhnevartovsk. The flight is operated by UTair.

Transit flight differences

There are connecting and transfer flights. Let's see what is the difference between them:

On a connecting flight: You get one transit ticket and multiple boarding passes. Check in once (at the first airport of departure). You do not need to go through passport control again (at the transfer airport), you will not leave the transit zone. You do not even think about the luggage, it will definitely be carried to another plane. If you are required to provide food and lodging, as well as put on another plane departing later in the same direction.
On a connecting flight: You are holding two (or more) separate tickets. Check-in takes place at each transfer airport. It is necessary to go through passport and other controls several times (meaning at each airport). You pick up and drop off your luggage yourself. In the event of a flight delay, the entire responsibility lies on your shoulders.

Knowing the difference is very important so as not to get into an awkward situation when buying a ticket.

Baggage on a connecting flight

Probably, every person is interested in what to do with luggage. How does a transfer flight work in this case?

If you have a single ticket (flights are operated by one air carrier, this is a connecting flight), then you need to check in your baggage to the final destination, being at the first airport of departure. Then it will be delivered to the next plane. You will not need to pick up your suitcase.
In the event that you need to change the airport for a transfer, you cannot leave luggage. It should be taken away.
You will only need to collect and check in your baggage if you are carrying items that need to be declared.
If you have two or more tickets, you need to take care of your luggage yourself.
Also, the airline may refuse to carry luggage on the plane and offer you to do it, but only if the airport does not have the necessary equipment.

How does a transfer flight work? Aeroflot warns that if your luggage is checked in only to Moscow, then you need to collect it yourself and check it in again to your final destination.

Visa for transit flight

This is a very important point related to documents. You need to clarify it before the start of the trip. So, do you need a visa for a connecting flight?

If your flight is from the same airport you arrived at, or at least the terminal, then you do not need a transit visa.
Also, you do not need a visa if you do not need to collect luggage.

You are just waiting for your flight to You do not go through immigration or any other control, which requires a visa.

When is a transit visa required?

If you are on a connecting flight and need to change airports.
If you have two or more transfers in the Schengen area. How then does a flight with a transfer take place if there is no visa? Issue it at the embassy of the country hosting the first transplant.
If the terminal that serves your next flight is located in such a way that you must go outside to get into it (it may be in a different area), then you need a visa.
The transfer will take place in the UK. If its duration is from 24 to 48 hours, you need to apply for a Visitor in transit Visa. If from 48 hours - you will need a regular transit visa.
If you are flying on two (or more) different tickets. For example, from Kazan to Riga, and from there to Milan. You need a visa to collect your luggage and check in for another flight.
If the country of arrival is the USA, Canada, Australia. In these countries, a visa is required even if you are just in

Transfer time

It is extremely important to remember that transplantation can sometimes take a long time. Moreover, your first plane may be delayed. In order not to worry whether you will have time for a connection or not, we advise you to choose the right tickets:

The best option if you are flying with one company is to have a ticket with a transfer lasting at least two hours.
Consider the human factor: you may be tired or confused due to excitement.
Many airports have poor navigation. Not all tourists can easily figure out for themselves where to go.
Don't forget about the time you spend going to the gate and then on board.

If you are flying with two companies that are not partners, then the ideal connection time is at least three hours. Add time for baggage claim, check-in, checkpoints.

Would you like to fly in an airplane for 18 hours? Or would you choose the option of a connecting flight?

The longest non-stop flight was made by Singapore Airlines. Tickets for the flight are on sale from May 31, 2018.
Flight New York - Singapore is non-stop and lasts 18.5 hours. In the opposite direction (Singapore - New York), the travel time is 17 hours 50 minutes.
A plane ticket can be bought for $1,130 (74,315 rubles).
The route itself will open on October 11, 2018. It will become regular.
Today it is the longest flight in the world.
This airline already had such a flight, which was closed in 2013 due to the fact that the aircraft serving flights was withdrawn from the fleet (Airbus A340).
Previously, the New York-Singapore flight was operated by the same Singapore Airlines, but with a connection in Frankfurt.
The flight will now be served by an ultra-long-range Airbus A350 aircraft. Business class accommodates 67 seats, economy - 94 seats.
The distance between New York and Singapore is 16,700 kilometers (9,000 nautical miles).

Would you dare to fly on this ultra-long-range aircraft, covering almost seventeen thousand kilometers in eighteen and a half hours?

Buy a transfer ticket with one ticket. Then you do not have to worry during the flight whether you will be on time for the next flight or not. Why ruin your flight experience? Enjoy it and don't think about anything else.
Think carefully in advance how long it will take you to transplant. Especially if you are flying this way for the first time.
Learn about the details of your itinerary. Do I need to move to another terminal? Maybe even to another airport? Learn how to get there. Especially often other airports or terminals in Paris and London are assigned for transfers.
Think in advance what you will do during the transplant. If the connection lasts about 3-4 hours, take books or a tablet with you in your hand luggage. They will help you deal with boredom. If your transfer lasts more than four hours, it would be wise to spend all this time in the lounge area. This is a superior room where you can be served food, drinks and Wi-Fi. The more hours you stay there, the less you pay for the service.
Think about where you will sleep in case of a long night layover. You can book a room at the nearest airport hotel.
Check in advance whether you need to apply for a visa for a transplant. Even if not, you can make it at least to walk around the city.

Take into account these tips, and your flights will be as comfortable as possible.

Conclusion

So, today we have learned with you how flights with transfers are made. We found out how things are with luggage, what transit flights are like. Now you know exactly how to organize the perfect connecting flight. Travel more!

If we exclude the understandable excitement with the likely delay of flights and the time of connecting flights, this turns out to be not so scary. In addition, it is simply impossible to get to some remote corners of the planet without a transplant.

It is best to choose flights from the same airline in order to fly with connections and avoid unnecessary complications. In this case, the passenger will be immediately checked in for both (or more) flights and there is no need to worry about luggage: it will be automatically transferred from one aircraft to another. It is often possible to check in baggage to the end point from the very beginning even when flying with different airlines: if they are part of the same alliance or have entered into an interline agreement.

If it is not possible to fly with the same company, you should choose a transfer option with a sufficient time difference to catch a second flight, even if the first one is delayed. Experienced travelers advise taking 2-3 hours for a transfer, international standards recommend as many as 4. Although there have been cases when tourists managed to transfer in 25 minutes, but this, of course, is still an adventure.

Every takeoff, every landing, passing through customs and passport control is very tiring for the body. In addition, several hours of waiting are added to the real time on the road (sometimes you have to spend about 30 hours on your feet without sleep). It is worth thinking about such a load in advance and soberly assess your strengths. Perhaps you should pay a little more for tickets, but then not sleep off from fatigue for the first three days of your vacation?

It is advisable to try to buy tickets so that the arrival in the transfer city and departure from it are carried out from the same airport. So, for example, there are three airports in Moscow and moving from one to another will take a sufficient amount of time. If for some reason this option turned out to be impossible, it is worth considering the time it will take to pick up your luggage and get to another airport.

It is necessary to find out in advance whether it is necessary to issue a transit visa for the country in which the transfer is made (see information below).

If you want to walk around the city during a transfer, but there is no time to get a transit visa or just too lazy, then you should choose a country where Russians can enter without additional documents. For example, you can stay in 96 hours.

If you are planning a vacation in one of the countries, you should also choose a “Schengen” country for a transplant - the main visa will be valid there too if this state fully applies the Schengen legislation of the EU.

If you still have to fly with several airlines and check in for each flight yourself, it is best to do it in advance: via the Internet (online check-in usually opens 12 hours or even a day in advance) or immediately after arrival (at large airports with heavy traffic there is such a service). This will save you from standing in lines and save time.

You must be prepared for the fact that luggage can be lost. This is rare, but it happens. You can take a small bag with you in your hand luggage and put all your valuables there, as well as clothes for a couple of days, medicines and other necessary things, so that, if anything, you can exist normally while they are looking for your suitcase. In 90% of cases, lost luggage is returned within 2-3 days and delivered directly to the hotel.

It is useful to study in advance the scheme of the airport where you will have to transfer: which terminal the first plane arrives from, where the next one departs from, how best to go from the arrival zone to the departure zone, where you need to check in and receive luggage. This is especially true for large international airports with a large number of terminals.

If something is not clear, it is always better to once again ask the airport staff about it. If there is uncertainty about your knowledge of foreign languages, it is recommended to write down for yourself a few basic phrases in English and the language of the transfer country in advance, which will help you not to get lost at the airport and board your flight correctly.

When exiting the first plane, you should immediately look for a sign with the word Transit and follow it (unless it is the USA or Australia, you will need to go all the way again there). This will avoid unnecessary formalities with passport control and save time. It is worth considering that a transfer through the transit zone can be done only if you do not need to pick up luggage: it is not there (only hand luggage, which is with you) or it is immediately sent to the destination. This is due to the fact that the baggage claim belt on the route of an arriving passenger is traditionally located behind the passport control line (but in front of customs).

If everything is prepared in advance and you already have all the boarding passes on hand, do not forget to look at the board: the exit number may suddenly change when the flight is delayed or for some other reason.

What to do if the first plane is late? In the case of a flight by the same company, it is fully responsible for the arrival of the passenger at the final destination of the route and is obliged to send him on the next flight - his own or another carrier. If, according to the schedule on that day, there are no more flights to the desired destination, the passenger must be accommodated for the night in a hotel and sent to the desired city the next day.

If a passenger flies with different carriers, then in case of a significant flight delay at the connecting airport, he should contact the counter of the first airline along the route in order to make a special note on the ticket. Then it will need to be shown at the counter of the airline whose flight the passenger missed. If there are places on suitable flights that day, the tourist will be sent to one of them, if not, the flight will be rescheduled for the next day. In this case, accommodation in a hotel, most likely, will have to be paid for by yourself.

Registration of transit visas

Usually a transit visa is required if the tourists have enough time for a transfer and they are going to go out for a walk in the city or even spend the night there.
You will also need a visa if you have to travel from one airport to another in the transfer city or there will be several stops along the way (for example, St. Petersburg - Cologne - Hamburg - Rio de Janeiro), since the second part of the flight takes place already inside the Schengen area and the passenger will need to cross the border to get on the flight Cologne - Hamburg.
If passengers are not going to leave the territory of the airport, the transfer takes less than 24 hours and there will be only one stop along the way, a transit visa in the Schengen countries is not needed.

But there are exceptions to all rules.

So, for example, the Berlin airport does not have its own transit zone, therefore, if the capital is not the final destination of the trip and the flight is not operated by Air Berlin, you will have to acquire a transit visa. Transit to "non-Schengen countries" is allowed in Germany only through the airports of Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Dusseldorf, and even then it is not open around the clock.
At American international airports, there is no transit zone at all, so you will have to get it anyway.
The situation is similar in Australia: in any case, citizens of the Russian Federation must receive a transit visa - regardless of whether they leave the transit zone or not and how long they stay in the country.
More information about the availability of a transit zone at a particular airport can be found on the website of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Transit visas are single-, double- or multiple-entry, depending on how many times a tourist is allowed to cross the borders of the state. But in any case, the time of each transit visit, during which a foreigner can stay in the territory of the Schengen state, should not exceed three days (72 hours).

To obtain a transit visa, you usually need to provide the following documents to the embassy of the country concerned:

Photo: thinkstockphotos.com, flickr.com

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 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 real adventurer and crave interesting travels, then you simply cannot avoid connecting flights. Let's look at how a transfer flight works, how baggage is checked in during a transit flight, and some other rules for a 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 the full necessary information from the crew members and employees of the airline (for example, Aeroflot airline provides sufficiently detailed information on 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 that you need to leave more time before an international flight for 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. You will need to collect your baggage at an intermediate point when flying with transit and check it in yourself again for the next flight if you are transporting items 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.

Some passengers are willing to pay any amount of money just to travel all the way on the same plane. And vice versa - there are people who invent unthinkable combinations and combine three or four flights in one trip. Why do they do it? What is a docking and what does a traveler who is flying somewhere with a transfer need to know?

First, let's understand the terms. The words "docking" and "transplant" often mean the same thing, but in fact these concepts are somewhat different. A docking is a flight with a landing at one or more points. The same ticket is valid throughout the flight. Most often, stops are made to change the vehicle - passengers leave the plane, go to the airport and board another aircraft in another terminal. A different amount of time is allotted for docking - from an hour with a little to a day, but most often from 2 to 6 hours.

When flying with a connection, passengers usually worry about two questions::

Do I need to go through registration, customs, passport control and security again?

Do I need to pick up and check in my luggage at the docking station?

A mandatory procedure for docking is security control. It's not the airline's, but the airport's, to make sure you're not trying to carry a bomb in your hand luggage. In some major interchange hubs, screening is required at the entrance to each terminal.

Check-in for a connecting flight is issued once - at the airport of departure. Then you get a document, which you show at the intermediate airport. There is usually no need to go through customs. Those who stay in the transit zone all the time during the docking are not threatened by border control either. But if you want to go out into the city and get to know the culture of the country better, you should find out in advance whether this is acceptable in your case. For example, at European airports, you may have big problems if you wish to cross the border without a valid Schengen visa.

What about luggage? Everything is much simpler here. When traveling on different planes but on the same ticket, the airline is responsible for your baggage. Its employees transfer your property from one aircraft to another without your participation. You only need to hand over things at the starting point of the journey and receive them at the end. If you do not find your suitcases at the airport of arrival, the carrier must also look for them. In case of loss of luggage, you need to contact the airline office at the airport and fill out the necessary documents.

So, docking is not particularly difficult - we have just seen this. What does a transplant look like? Let's say you are flying from Moscow to New York, but there are no cheap direct flights. But you can buy one inexpensive ticket from Moscow to Paris and the second - from Paris to New York. A transfer will be considered the moment at the airport when you transfer from one aircraft to another. In fact, this is not much different from a transfer in the city to another bus. The difference is only in the details.

When transferring from one flight to another, the passenger is responsible for his own property. Yes, when transferring luggage, you will have to receive and check in again, and at an intermediate airport. The same applies to all procedures accompanying the flight. After arriving at the transfer point, you will need to collect your luggage, check in for the next flight, check in your luggage, go through customs, security screening, and if you plan to go into the city, then passport control. Specify the visa regime in advance if you do not want to be detained for violating it.

At large foreign airports, orientation to the terrain can be a problem. You must thoroughly understand which terminal you are arriving at, where your next flight departs from, how best to go from the arrival zone to the departure zone. Be sure to mark where you need to check in and receive your luggage. And it is better to do it at home, in a calm environment, a few days before the flight. Hastily studying the layout of an intermediate airport when your plane has already aimed at its runway is not the most convenient option.

There is always a possibility that the plane will be delayed - for example, due to adverse weather conditions. If you are due to arrive at your transfer point around 5:00 pm, do not take a flight that departs before 6:30 pm. You just won't be able to do everything you need to do. It is better to foresee in advance that luggage may be delayed, and the queue at passport control may be longer than usual. Total It takes about two to three hours for a transplant. If possible, check in for the next flight online - if the plane is delayed, this will save a lot of time. Online check-in usually opens 12 hours or even a day in advance, so you can go through it even at the point where you start your journey.

When it makes sense to choose a flight with a connection (transfer)?

If you want to see a city (country) without staying there for a long time. Some states allow travelers a transit stay in the city without a visa (two or three days). All you have to do is present an air ticket confirming that you will fly out of the country on the specified date.

As we have already mentioned, connecting flights may be cheaper than direct flights. If a trip to a dream country threatens to turn into a financial crisis, it is worth exploring alternative options. It is possible that one connection or transfer will save you 30-40% of the original amount.