Raja ampat sorong flights help

[NootFish]

Why did you purchase the Jakarta to Sorong as a separate leg? Qatar is part of one world and should allow you to have a single ticket from Vienna to Sorong.
Qatar allow you to have a luggage of 25kg + 7kg hand luggage (on economy classic). You can see excess luggage fee on this link :

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/baggage/excess.html

I don't think they will differentiate dive gears with standard exceed weights, so be prepare to pay if you exceed the 32kg in total.

Garuda isn't One World, it's Sky Team. I've checked in with Garuda and gotten my baggage allll the way home via Delta and Korean Air.
If you're checking baggage in to Garuda and they're going to check it to other airlines, you probably are going to be able to take advantage of the extra dive stuff baggage allowance. I believe Sky Team gives you 2 free checked bags on international flights anyway.
For the Jakarta to Sorong flight, you check your dive gear in there and they accept that it's dive gear and it's free. I've done it 3x so far and no issues at all.

Say hello to the fishies for me in Indo!

 

[Illini_Fan]

Partial hijack of the thread -- what covid vaccine paperwork is needed when checking in at CGK for the flight to Sorong?

 

[Andrea1]

Why did you purchase the Jakarta to Sorong as a separate leg? Qatar is part of one world and should allow you to have a single ticket from Vienna to Sorong.
Qatar allow you to have a luggage of 25kg + 7kg hand luggage (on economy classic). You can see excess luggage fee on this link :

https://www.qatarairways.com/en/baggage/excess.html

I don't think they will differentiate dive gears with standard exceed weights, so be prepare to pay if you exceed the 32kg in total.

It was possible to book all in one, and I did that for the rest of the travel. Jakarta-Sorong on the outbound flight is the only leg I book directly with Garuda, because the stops and times etc. were not suitable or too expensive in the offers from Qatar. I wanted to have a long stopover in Jakarta, and the booking with Qatar did not provide that. And: I have to collect and reenter my luggage in Jakarta, whatever flight I take, so even with booking through, they could try to make me pay the luggage for the flight Jakarta-Sorong.

As another SB member wrote, Garuda gives 23 kg free for dive gear, so I will try that.

On the other hand, Qatar seems to demand more for sports equipment than for normal excess luggage!?

 

[Andrea1]

No need (and I dont think there is a way) to book your dive gear online. When you check in with Garuda and plop your bags on the scale/conveyer belt just tell them you have diving equipment. They might ask to take a peek, but probably will not. Done. Easy. The sporting equipment allowance is included in every Garuda ticket.

https://www.garuda-indonesia.com/id/en/special-offers/sales-promotion/sportequipment

OK, thanks for the information! Do you know, if the structure of the bags matters? I will start with Qatar, and they give me 25kg / a Person, and I plan to take one bag more with 25kg. So together with my husband, we will have 3 bags, 75 kg total.

Garuda gives 20kg free, and 23kg a person dive gear. Would be 86kg total. But I would have the two “normal” bags with more than 20 kg, and no 100% division between normal bags and dive gear. Is this a no go?

 

[matts1w]

OK, thanks for the information! Do you know, if the structure of the bags matters? I will start with Qatar, and they give me 25kg / a Person, and I plan to take one bag more with 25kg. So together with my husband, we will have 3 bags, 75 kg total.

Garuda gives 20kg free, and 23kg a person dive gear. Would be 86kg total. But I would have the two “normal” bags with more than 20 kg, and no 100% division between normal bags and dive gear. Is this a no go?

You will be fine. I mix my dive gear and other stuff too. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Andrea1]

Partial hijack of the thread -- what covid vaccine paperwork is needed when checking in at CGK for the flight to Sorong?

They request 3 vaccinations and the proof in english. And you have to use an Covid App. I'm flying end of February, so I check this in depth when it's time to travel - things can change again...

 

[Szczerber]

Hi,

Another hijack of the thread. In March 2023 we are flying Singapore Airlines from the US and staying one night in Singapore. The next day next day, we paln to continue on Singapore Air to Jakarta to finally board the Garuda GA682 leaving at 00:30 to Sorong.

I still have not booked the SIN-CGK leg of the trip. There are plenty of options, but I am basically looking at two flights: one is supposed to arrive at CGK at 13:05 and the other possibilty arrives at 18:05.

Are 6 hours going to be enough to obtain our entry visas, provide proof of vaccinations etc., collect our suitcases and transfer to the Garuda flight? It sounds reasonable, but I have never been to Jakarta airport and especially now post Covid things often get delayed. On top of that flights get delayed as well.

Or would you recomend taking the earlier flight and spend more than 12 hours at the airport. We do have lounge access, so it should be a liitle easier, but still...

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[Cali_diver]

If it was me I would arrive with as much time as possible. This gives you a shot of getting your luggage etc if anything gets lost. We flew Singapore air in Sept. and they left one of our bags in Singapore and we had to wait for it. I travel to Indo a lot and always fly in at least one day before a domestic flight. If you don't care if your bags make it then no worries. One of the operators in Lembeh posted a warning telling people that a lot of luggage isn't making it to Indo from Singapore right now. There is an airport hotel that you might be able to use for part of day etc.

 

[chillyinCanada]

If it was me I would arrive with as much time as possible. This gives you a shot of getting your luggage etc if anything gets lost. We flew Singapore air in Sept. and they left one of our bags in Singapore and we had to wait for it. I travel to Indo a lot and always fly in at least one day before a domestic flight. If you don't care if your bags make it then no worries. One of the operators in Lembeh posted a warning telling people that a lot of luggage isn't making it to Indo from Singapore right now. There is an airport hotel that you might be able to use for part of day etc.

Singapore Air and Changi are having luggage transfer issues?! Oh no, if even the most efficient outfit and airport in the world is having problems, I'm feeling some mild despair.

 

[Cali_diver]

Singapore Air and Changi are having luggage transfer issues?! Oh no, if even the most efficient outfit and airport in the world is having problems, I'm feeling some mild despair.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I was shocked when they lost my bag and it wasn't a tight connection.