On a travel website I have this offer:

enter image description here

I'm not a citizen of any of those countries. I'll normally need a visa for India.

However, in this case, how will Kiwi ensure that I even will be allowed to board a plane in Thailand without having an Indian visa? There'll be 2 different tickets, right? What will I tell in Thailand "I won't leave the transit zone thus I don't need a visa?".

Note that it says "transfer protected". That is a protection for a delay, cancellation, etc. Not for what I'm asking here.

PS: Assuming, I'll be allowed to board if I buy those 2 tickets from Kiwi, will I still be able to board if I buy them on my own from the websites of the airlines instead of buying from Kiwi?

  • 5
    I don’t understand your question. It’s not up to Kiwi to ensure that you’ll be allowed to board
    – Traveller
    Aug 22 '18 at 16:54
  • 1
    Kiwi is notorious for selling tickets on airlines that don't normally interact with each other, so it will be up to you to figure out the connection logistics. Whatever visa you need to transit India, you'll need to make these flights. You'll probably be refused boarding at Bangkok if you lack the visa. Aug 22 '18 at 17:17
  • 2
    Since you don't seem to actually want to visit Jaipur, is there any other reason for you to have this particular stopover? Because if there isn't, I would really advise to avoid this routing. On your date of travel, you can get a direct flight on Thai Airways for less than $400 and a connecting flight on Oman Air for $335. Both of these options will save you a lot of time and the hassle of potentially having to apply for a visa and having to pick up your luggage in Jaipur and re-check it for the next flight. (And they don't cost that much more.)
    – Mophotla
    Aug 23 '18 at 2:37
  • @Mophotla Yeah. this seems to be a theoretical question. If you allow Suvarnabhumi (BKK), which you usually want anyway, you have a lot of much better choices.
    – AndreKR
    Aug 23 '18 at 7:46

(Note: I don't know the transfer process and policy at Jaipur airport, the visa checking policy of AirAsia, or whether the check-in for Air India Express can be done online. But I'm posting this answer because other answers incorrectly suggest that this would be sold as one ticket with one PNR.)

When you see "Transfer protected by Kiwi.com Guarantee" it means Kiwi is buying two separate tickets in your name, with two different passenger name records (PNRs). Therefore, the airlines won't help if, for example, you miss the connection due to a delayed flight. The good thing about the Kiwi.com Guarantee is that if a delayed flight makes you miss the connection, Kiwi themselves will (generally) find you another flight to your destination.

Depending on the airline, you may even have to exit security at the intermediate airport in order to check in with the second airline, then re-enter security.

Unfortunately for you, Kiwi won't help if you're denied boarding due to a visa issue. Kiwi's fine print says:

Kiwi.com is not responsible for any visa issue, including airport transit visas; this is the responsibility of the passenger. Kindly note that without the correct documents, you may not be allowed to board the aircraft. You can learn more about your visa requirements by visiting the IATA Travel Centre or by contacting the embassy or your foreign ministry.

  • what's PNRs?.
    – Katta
    Aug 23 '18 at 0:40
  • @Katta A PNR is a six-digit alphanumeric code associated with your booking (sometimes called booking code). Having two different PNRs basically means that your two flights are on separate bookings and neither airline knows of the other flight. Therefore, the airlines will not offer the usual transfer protection that would come with a through ticket on a single booking/PNR. As others have mentioned, this also means that you can't through-check your baggage and even if you're travelling with just hand luggage, there is no guarantee that you will be able to stay in the international transit area.
    – Mophotla
    Aug 23 '18 at 2:49
  • @Katta I added a link to the Wikipedia article.
    – phoog
    Aug 23 '18 at 14:03
  • It would have to be a hell of a delay, to miss that 17 hrs of layover!
    – Nick
    Aug 24 '18 at 23:10

However, in this case, how will kiwi ensure that I even will be allowed to board a plain in Thailand without having an Indian visa?

They don't. It is your responsibility as a passenger to have all required Visa and you agree to that during the booking by accepting the terms and conditions.

There'll be 2 different tickets, right?

Yes, it's two tickets. Otherwise it would say "Transfer protected by the airline".


Since these are separate tickets, Air Asia will NOT allow you to board unless you have a valid Visa for India. As far as they are concerned they are flying you from DMK to JAI and that's it. They have no knowledge or control over what you do once you get to Jaipur, so they must assume you want to go into India.

You need to collect your bags and do a full new check in for the second flight. In many airports you need to leave the transit zone to do this. Often, after the baggage claim there is no way back to the transit zone and/or there are no check in counters or bag drops in the transit area.

  • what if I don't want to buy via kiwi and want to buy from the websites of the aircompanies, 2 different tickets, that is. will If it's a single ticket AND Jaipur airport has an international transit area and both flights connect to that area, you should be fine. still hold?
    – Katta
    Aug 22 '18 at 17:38
  • 4
    No, it will not hold. Hilmar already answered this in the second-to-last paragraph above: Air Asia will want to see the correct entry documents for India and if you don't have them, they will deny you boarding.
    – Hunter
    Aug 22 '18 at 19:15
  • 1
    To put on top of that: if there is no transit area, you need a visa to leave the plane. Air Asia will be held liable for anyone they allow to board such a plane who isn't allowed to leave the plane, so they really, really won't let you.
    – Mast
    Aug 23 '18 at 10:01

One point that has surprisingly not been mentioned until now is that if you have two tickets (which I'm pretty sure will be the case here), you most probably won't be able to check your luggage through.

That means that if you have checked luggage, when landing in Jaipur, you'll need to go through immigration (entering India), get your bags, go through customs, go to check-in to drop your bags, go through immigration again (exiting India).

So I'm pretty sure you will need a visa. Not sure if there are special transit visas in India, though?

  • That's only partially correct. If you don't check in a bag you can just stay in the terminal until your next flight, if I remember correctly Indian customs are not after you deplane but after you exit the arrivals area. Aug 23 '18 at 11:42
  • @HermanToothrot clarified by adding that this only applies if OP has checked luggage.
    – jcaron
    Aug 23 '18 at 12:49

Kiwi doesn't care. AirAsia does, very much so. But if you buy this trip, it will probably be on one ticket, with one PNR. And even with two PNR, you'll still have proof that you don't plan to enter Jaipur, but fly onwards.

This will be enough for AirAsia to let you board their plane.

  • therefore, I should be able to buy 2 different tickes from the websites on the aircompanies on my own? that can be cheaper than buying them via kiwi
    – Katta
    Aug 22 '18 at 17:33
  • 1
    You've got to be careful with this. An airline like BA, JL, or AA will (in my experience) be happy enough to allow you to do a transfer across separate tickets at an airport where you need a visa if you can satisfy them you have an onward ticket. But not all airlines are happy to do that, even if arguably they should.
    – Calchas
    Aug 22 '18 at 23:00
  • It's two separate tickets. That's what "Transfer protected by KIWI" means. There is actually very little protection.
    – Hilmar
    Aug 23 '18 at 18:46

Your PS has not been answered yet:

As others have already said, this itinerary will most likely result in two different tickets. Assuming that Air Asia's policy is to let you board without a visa for India if you can prove that you are just transiting, then yes, you will also be allowed to board if you buy the two tickets yourself. From Air Asia's point of view, you have a ticket for them and an onward ticket for another airline, independent of whether you book through Kiwi or not.

So it really depends on Air Asia's willingness to let you board and also on whether it will be possible for you to stay in the international transit zone of Jaipur Airport (if such a zone even exists) for the entire layover.


If you read the kiwi booking page, it literally says self check-in and in addition warns you about the transit visa requirements. So there is no way you can make this flight unless you have a valid visa before you board the flight.

And Jaipur airport website says it has only one terminal common for both domestic and international flights. So there is no airside transit area available for you anyway.

So book an alternate route preferrably on a single ticket.

enter image description here

  • The fact that the same terminal contains both international and domestic gates does not imply that international-to-international transfers require clearing immigration controls.
    – phoog
    Aug 23 '18 at 21:15

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