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[Albion] Travel via third country



finbar

Active member
Jul 15, 2003
247
Hove
Sorry, another thread on Rome travel, I am in a panic.

If flying to Rome via a third country, e.g. France, Spain etc im trying to work out the amount of time needed between flights to make sure I don't miss the second flight - does anyone know if there is a black and white answer about whether you need to go through immigration at the first airport?

My assumption is yes, and I therefore need to leave hours and hours for any passport queue delays.

Again, apologies for yet another thread
 




Mr Bridger

Sound of the suburbs
Feb 25, 2013
4,753
Earth
Will be on the itinerary if booked all together.
I’m going via Barcelona and have a 3hr wait so have told the Mrs I’m taking her for lunch in Spain then tea in Rome to take the sting out the fact we might be tear gassed.
 


essbee1

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2014
4,725
Surely that "in transit" means you simply get off a plane in one terminal gate and walk to the gate of the connecting flight.
I've never had to go through any controls except at source and destination of course. But I tend to take direct flights
these days - so might be wrong here. The delay will be if your flight is delayed and you miss the connection.
 


Arthur

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
8,760
Buxted Harbour
Surely that "in transit" means you simply get off a plane in one terminal gate and walk to the gate of the connecting flight.
I've never had to go through any controls except at source and destination of course. But I tend to take direct flights
these days - so might be wrong here. The delay will be if your flight is delayed and you miss the connection.
Nope you are spot on. There should be no need to go through passport controls assuming you are getting your connecting flight from the same airport.

Possibly if it's a different terminal??
 


Yes Chef

Well-known member
Apr 11, 2016
1,908
In the kitchen
It depends. If you have, for example, booked an easyjet flight to, say, Berlin and then have a Lufthansa flight to Rome then you will have to go through immigration at the first airport (Berlin, in our example)
 




Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
57,289
Back in Sussex
Nope you are spot on. There should be no need to go through passport controls assuming you are getting your connecting flight from the same airport.

Possibly if it's a different terminal??
Whilst broadly agreeing, that can't be the case all the time.

One route home was Rome -> Edinburgh -> Gatwick.

if you don't go through immigration in Edinburgh you'll not be doing so at Gatwick as you arrive on an internal flight.
 


Kinky Gerbil

Im The Scatman
NSC Patron
Jul 16, 2003
58,792
hassocks
Wouldn't do this unless it's one through ticket, so you have some form of protection if the first flight is delayed.

If you book them as 2 different tickets you will be out of luck if you miss connection and could have to buy a whole new ticket.

There is a fair amount of short haul delays/cnx atm
 


Arthur

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
8,760
Buxted Harbour
Whilst broadly agreeing, that can't be the case all the time.

One route home was Rome -> Edinburgh -> Gatwick.

if you don't go through immigration in Edinburgh you'll not be doing so at Gatwick as you arrive on an internal flight.
But that isn't flying via a "third country" though is it.
 






peterward

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 11, 2009
12,275
Sorry, another thread on Rome travel, I am in a panic.

If flying to Rome via a third country, e.g. France, Spain etc im trying to work out the amount of time needed between flights to make sure I don't miss the second flight - does anyone know if there is a black and white answer about whether you need to go through immigration at the first airport?

My assumption is yes, and I therefore need to leave hours and hours for any passport queue delays.

Again, apologies for yet another thread
For low cost airlines generally like Ryanair, easyjet, Wizzair, who only fly point to point and not hub/spoke then yes, you would need to clear customs/immigration and re check in, go through security.

For most legacy carriers, like British airways, air france etc, you dont, it will be transit lounge. You need to check with the airlines involved as they will have different policies.

Who is it with?
 


peterward

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NSC Patron
Nov 11, 2009
12,275
Nope you are spot on. There should be no need to go through passport controls assuming you are getting your connecting flight from the same airport.

Possibly if it's a different terminal??
I'm not sure thats correct? it will most likely be easier on your return to UK than outbound potentially. As you will be leaving an EU/Schenghen state from Rome and most likely transiting through another, in which case youre still in EU/Schenghen and will almost certainly just transit (if its right type of airline).

You may find problems outbound as some countries will insist on anyone coming from outside Schenghen or EU (see: https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/threads/brexit.343854/) may have to complete security at their first port of arrival (transit airport) to get into EU/Schenghen before transit.

Id look carefully.
 




ROSM

Well-known member
Dec 26, 2005
6,771
Just far enough away from LDC
I know of people going to athens from edinburgh who had to go through immigration at schipol.

Also some flights are sold as self connecting through places like skyscanner/kayak so that means youre on your own of flight is delayed
 


Pinkie Brown

Wir Sind das Volk
Sep 5, 2007
3,637
Neues Zeitalter DDR 🇩🇪
You will clear immigration at the first point of Schengen entry. Your second flight would be inside Schengen and is akin to an internal flight. If you have booked through a cheap third party seller rather than an airline direct on a seamless booking, the former often cobble together separate bookings with sketchy connection times. Bear in mind if your first flight is late and you miss your connection, unless you've purchased any kind of extra cover, you can launch your second ticket into the bin. If you do have cover, you will have the fun experience of attempting to call an offshore call centre to arrange a new flight. Airline staff at an outstation aren't going to assist if you've purchased via a third party seller. If you've booked direct with the airline on a seamless booking reference to your final destination, they will put you on the next available flight at no cost to yourself.

How long to allow is a piece of string length question. Since Brexit UK citizens now have to join the rest of the world queue when entering the Schengen Zone. That can be a slow process compared to the good ol days. If you should land shortly after flights from Lagos or Calcutta have dropped in, all bets are off. Allow LOTS of time, then a bit more on top.
 
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Herr Tubthumper

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NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,692
The Fatherland
You will clear immigration at the first point of Schengen entry. Your second flight would be inside Schengen and is akin to an internal flight. If you have booked through a cheap third party seller rather than an airline direct on a seamless booking, the former often cobble together separate bookings with sketchy connection times. Bear in mind if your first flight is late and you miss your connection, unless you've purchased any kind of extra cover, you can launch your second ticket into the bin. If you do have cover, you will have the fun experience of attempting to call an offshore call centre to arrange a new flight. Airline staff at an outstation aren't going to assist if you've purchased via a third party seller. If you've booked direct with the airline on a seamless booking reference to your final destination, they will put you on the next available flight at no cost to yourself.

How long to allow is a piece of string length question. Since Brexit UK citizens now have to join the rest of the world queue when entering the Schengen Zone. That can be a slow process compared to the good ol days. If you should land shortly after flights from Lagos or Calcutta have dropped in, all bets are off. Allow LOTS of time, then a bit more on top.
Very much this. Connecting flights with swift transfers are now impossible from the UK for UK passport holders.
 




Herr Tubthumper

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Jul 11, 2003
62,692
The Fatherland
For low cost airlines generally like Ryanair, easyjet, Wizzair, who only fly point to point and not hub/spoke then yes, you would need to clear customs/immigration and re check in, go through security.

For most legacy carriers, like British airways, air france etc, you dont, it will be transit lounge. You need to check with the airlines involved as they will have different policies.

Who is it with?
This is not the case if you from the UK and are connecting with a flight which is a 'Schengen' flight i.e. leaves and lands in the Schengen. These are the same as domestic flights. You will go through immigration when you first hit the Schengen. When a Schengen flight lands you are in the 'open' section of the airport and are free to walk off the plane and walk straight out the airport....therefore the border has to be before you board the flight.
 


peterward

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Nov 11, 2009
12,275
This is not the case if you from the UK and are connecting with a flight which is a 'Schengen' flight i.e. leaves and lands in the Schengen. These are the same as domestic flights. You will go through immigration when you first hit the Schengen. When a Schengen flight lands you are in the 'open' section of the airport and are free to walk off the plane and walk straight out the airport....therefore the border has to be before you board the flight.
It is the case and I did make the point about having to clear immigration at first arrival outbound from UK?

But on return, If you leave say Rome and to London and fly air france via Paris, in Paris you will go via the connecting flights transit area and not have to re-do security and recheck in, your bag will be checked through to London. But you would have to clear security and re-check in on low cost airlines Like Ryanair as theyre 2 seperate flights.

Yes, if you went London Rome on air france via paris, you would need to enter Shenghen in Paris, clear immigration in Paris then proceed to the next sector to Rome within Shengen.

My point to the OP question, was that legacy carriers that fly to a hub, wont require you to clear security and re-check in, inside Shenghen, whereas low cost airlines that fly point to point (and not hub/spoke) still will require you to clear security and re-check in. They are 2 seperate flights.
 


dsr-burnley

Well-known member
Aug 15, 2014
2,625
Sorry, another thread on Rome travel, I am in a panic.

If flying to Rome via a third country, e.g. France, Spain etc im trying to work out the amount of time needed between flights to make sure I don't miss the second flight - does anyone know if there is a black and white answer about whether you need to go through immigration at the first airport?

My assumption is yes, and I therefore need to leave hours and hours for any passport queue delays.

Again, apologies for yet another thread
If you have booked the tickets for the two flights as a single booking, then the flights will be far enough apart to allow for transfers. They wouldn't sell you a flight that can't be done.

For example, my next flight to the USA has a stop in Dublin which is very handy (and deliberate) because I can go through American immigration and customs in Dublin. The stopover is 1 hour 40 minutes. (Though obviously neither Dublin nor Chicago are in the Schengen zone.)
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,692
The Fatherland
If you have booked the tickets for the two flights as a single booking, then the flights will be far enough apart to allow for transfers. They wouldn't sell you a flight that can't be done.

For example, my next flight to the USA has a stop in Dublin which is very handy (and deliberate) because I can go through American immigration and customs in Dublin. The stopover is 1 hour 40 minutes. (Though obviously neither Dublin nor Chicago are in the Schengen zone.)
The airline will sell you a ticket which, in theory. will enable you to catch the connection. They can’t predict delays with immigration (or the flight) though…any hold ups you might have an issue.

Further, the US pre clearance facility in Dublin is a dedicated service for one single country ….you can’t really compare this to a Schengen entry point at a similar, or larger, airport.
 
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empire

Well-known member
Dec 1, 2003
11,729
dreamland
I'm going to Rome via Brussels from Heathrow then back to Heathrow from Rome via Zurich .
I came back from Marseille via Bordeaux and it was easy enough
Is the correct answer
 


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