flights from LBJ (Komodo) to Denpasar (Bali)

[drk5036]

Hi All,

Scheduled to go do some diving with Scuba Junkie Komodo in April, looking forward to it. After I'll be flying back from Bangkok, and I was looking for some suggestions regarding the flight. The flight I'm planning to take from LBJ back to DPS is with PT Nam Air, scheduled 4:10-4:55. Does anyone have any experience with this flight and if it's often on time or delayed? I two options to fly back to Bangkok. One, which is more convenient and cheaper is with Thai Lion Air, departing at 7:40. That leaves me a 2:45 gap; check-in counter usually opens 2 hours prior and closes 1 hour prior to departure. Given that the first flight is domestic, deplaning formalities shouldn't be too difficult I suppose? Is this too risky of a connection? I know if it was going the other way around and required going through immigration/customs it would be no chance, but I wasn't sure about heading from the domestic to international terminal.

Otherwise, I can book a flight with AirAsia departing at 1 AM. Clearly then I'd have enough time but...too much time. Also this ticket is more than twice the price.

I'd appreciate any feedback; has anyone done this transfer before? If you were me, what would you do?

 

[Rob669]

I recently travelled with Garuda from Bali to LBJ and back, the flights both ran to time. It takes 10 mins to walk from Bali's domestic terminal over to the international terminal next door. They are separate sites. Try to find a plan of the route before doing the walk, there are lots of people offering to help to carry your bags (which you might want, I didn't) and there is a way to avoid them.

 

[dirtfarmer]

As a general rule the later in the day a flight is the higher chances of said flight being delayed and a longer delay.

 

[Thrawn7]

NAM has terrible delays to and from Komodo. At least 2 hours delay from 4 out of 4 flights, in my experience. Even 10am flight was badly delayed. One afternoon flight delayed 4 hours.

 

[Cali_diver]

Always count on delays in Indonesia....

 

[bshort4]

I flew this Nam air flight this past November from LBJ to Bali. I flew Guardia to Labuan Bajo and should have used them for the return flight too. The flight was about 4 hours late leaving Labuan Bajo and I thought for sure it was going to get cancelled. The flight to Bali was on a bigger 737-500 jet and not the twin turbo jets that usually fly there from Bali which was nice and much faster-but I'll stick to Guardia from now on--all their flights left on time or close to it.

 

[elenita]

As a rule of thumb with Indo domestic flights, the later the flight is in the day the more chances you have of getting delayed.
Getting out of the domestic terminal and to the international one in Bali doesn't take too long, no formalities in domestic and then a short walk. But out of experience I would probably go for the earliest flight....

 

[Thrawn7]

One of the things you do in Indo is that you work out where the incoming plane is coming from (ask the airline staff when informed of delay). Track its whereabouts using flightradar and you have a much better estimate of what the likely delay would be. If you're likely to miss a connection based on your own estimates, look for alternate last minute flights and maybe buy a ticket on the spot.

 

[Cali_diver]

If you see Garuda bring out the box snacks you know you are in trouble!!

 

[bshort4]

Garuda airlines has just recently taken over operations of Sriwijaya and Nam Air and hopefully this will improve both airlines on time performance in the future--hopefully. Wondering if both those airlines will increase their baggage allowance to match the extra allowance Garuda offers divers for their equipment--that would be nice. Nam Air only allowed 20 kg for one checked bag---mine was 23 kg and they didn't blink a eye and checked it onto the plane without any extra fee. But like I mentioned before this flight with Nam Air was on a larger 737-500 jet and not one of the usual smaller turbo prop planes and the plane was only maybe one third full so I don't believe weight was a issue as it might be on the smaller planes.