Any tips or points to watch as we are coming into Mumbai with BA and then getting down to Goa with Indian Airlines from the domestic terminal.

Thanks

Patricia

Hi Patricia...how long are you in Mumbai before you fly down to Goa ?
We went in monsoon last season..stayed in Mumbai for 2 days...great fun.
Have you been to Goa before....if so you will find Mumbai differant...
If you want to know anything , please get back and i will try to help if i can....We are going back to mumbai on 30th March then down to Goa for 2 weeks...

Hi,

Thanks we are reasonable old hands at India (hubby grew up out that way in the 50s & 60s). But we have never transited Mumbai, have done UK ~ Delhi and the delights of charter flights.

Being a little senior in age, we just wanted to be aware/streetwise of the process of embarking from the BA plane and entering the Indian Airlines flight down to GOA. Obviously immigration will be processed in the arrivals terminal. Then on baggage retrieval do you leave the international arrivals terminal and proceed to terminal 1 by what means? Are there more x-raying etc?

We are due to arrive in Goa 19th February and are flying back from Mumbai on the Monday 19th March we may leave Goa on the previous Saturday and spend 2 nights in Mumbai.

Any nice hotel recommendations and short tours for Mumbai?

You must take the trip to Elephanta Island and see the Shiva Caves - it's excellent.
Buy the luxury ticket, because it includes a free guide when you get there.
Don't listen to the touts you meet on landing - tell them you have a free guide. You will meet the guide at the cave entrance and he is very informative. It's a good 1/2 day out if you take a picnic - you can buy sandwiches from the Taj Hotel's cake shop.

The boats leave from "The Gateway" to Elephanta Island...........


Another idea is to rent a car and driver for a full or half day. Tel the driver that you want to see the Dhobi Ghats (wash house), the Ali Haji Tomb, the Jain Temple and the Towers of Silence.

We stayed at the Gordon House, a boutique hotel, round the corner from the Taj and The Gateway to India. http://www.ghhotel.com
If you go there, be sure to ask for a top floor room 'cos the disco is on the ground floor.

The Dhobi Ghats

Hi, if our BA plane lands at Mumbai at 11.40am (on time!) what would be the chance of us catching the Indian Airways flight to Goa at 12.55pm?
Can anyone help?
Thanks Goanne

None.
You have to change airports by bus and we missed it by a country mile.

So I take it the one at 15.25 would be better? can you recommend any hotels in Mumbai please
Goanne

The airports are about an hour to hour and a half from The Gateway/Colaba region depending on traffic.

Wherever you stay in Mumbai it's expensive although in downtown Mumbai, the Diplomat is reasonable ($50), but basic; it's in the street behind the Taj.

Closer to the airport is the Holiday Inn at Juhu Beach ($200), but there are lots more - the Orchid ($200) is 5 mins from the domestic terminal and is well recommended.

The Leela is expensive ($200-$250) but sometimes does a 2 nights for 1 special deal.

Just a note for anybody travelling to Goa via Mumbai, if you have bought any duty free, make sure you put them in your hold luggage on arrival in Mumbai, as you will not be allowed to take them on board as hand luggage for your domestic flight down to Goa......

Same happened to us a week ago. We were able to check-in an extra bag (from our hand luggage) as hold luggage at Mumbai. We did it at the Domestic Terminal with no problem.

For transiting to domestic I'd say you would need at least two or three hours. The process is (at least with BA/Jet Airways)..
Immigration
Baggage Collection
Customs
(Money Exchange)
Security Check for Hold Baggage for Internal Flight
Check-in for internal flight (even if through ticketed)
Queue for Bus
Bus to Domestic Terminal
Security check for Hand Baggage to departure area.

Geoff
- currently in Benaulim

Hi, Many thanks all for the info.
Goanne

Hi Goanne,
When we went by BA over the Christmas/New year period, we had to catch a domestic flight down to Goa and it was much simpler than i thougt it would be, we never really went outside the airport, we went through immigration, picked up the bags and started to walked towards the exit but just befor the exit there was a sign saying Domestic connections, we went through there and waited for the free bus over to the domestic airport, we were dropped of at checkin area of the domestic airport, in all i dont think it took an hour.
We too were on the flight that should land at 11.40am, our connection was with Spice Jet at 16.15pm and we had hours to wait in the domestic airport; I think you would be pushing it to catch a commection at 12.55 but one around 2pm would be alright.
hope this helps

Jayne

Thanks to one and all for the information, just one/two more questions do you take your bags to terminal one on the coach and are they re-xrayed prior to stepping up to the check in counter?

Thanks in advance,

Patrica

HI, Yes you take your bags with you on the coach and yes you do have to put them through the x-ray machine again before you check in at the domestic airport.

Jayne

Hi Newbutt, what was the flight like with SpiceJet, I recently posted this - but no one answered? havent yet booked our flight from Mumbai to Goa, so didnt know which company to go with, and/or whether to wait until we got to Mumbai?
Goanne

Goanne, the flight with Spice Jet was alright, the plane was new and it must have been comfortable as the HO and myself fell asleep; we wouldn't hesitate to use them again if the times were compatable.

Jayne

In my best hindi to all, it's not perfect!

"Aapakaa bahut bahut dhanyavaad ~ Aapka safar sukhad ho"

Thank you all very much and have a safe journey

Patrica

Yes you take your bags with you on the coach and yes you do have to put them through the x-ray machine again before you check in at the domestic airport.

It depends on which airline you are travelling with. If you are going from Mumbai to Goa by Jet Airways (also another airline, forget which) you check your bags back in again at the international terminal just after leaving customs (small corridor to the left just before exit to street). First you have the security screening (x-ray) then the check-in, then the bus. So with Jet Airways at least you do not take your bags on the bus/coach.

Other airlines are probably different to this.

Geoff

Regarding transfer from International to Domestic at Mumbai airport, as previous posters have said, it depends which airline you fly down to Goa. We flew Indian Airlines, as you exit customs and head toward the exit Domestic Transfers is on the left, IA and I think Jet Airways had check-in desks, so our luggage was checked in there, we then had to wait for the transfer bus - 2 hours - as we had just missed one. One shortcut might be to exit the International Terminal with all your luggage take a cab around to the Domestic.....Regards.....Barney.

We are flying to Mumbai with BA and land at 11.40am. I have not booked the internal flights yet but wonder if anyone did it on 'spec' when they arrived in Mumbai? I can't work out what to do for the best.
thanks Michelle