90-minute warning for fliers
Times News Service
MUSCAT: International airline companies have urged passengers to arrive for flights earlier at the new Muscat International airport terminal than they had at the old airport.
Some airlines even insisted their check-in counters would close 90 minutes before take-off, which is half an hour earlier than at the old airport.
They said “teething troubles” should be expected, like anywhere else, due to the new airport being in its infancy, and called on passengers to co-operate to ensure a smooth transition.
Big size
Country managers for those airlines, including national carriers, said passengers should arrive earlier because of the sheer size of the airport, which would require significant walking, and the fact that it was ‘silent’, meaning announcements would not be made.
This comes one week after the chairman of the board of airline representatives, Abdul Razaq Al Raisi, announced that passengers should come to the airport four hours before flight if they have a visa to cancel, and three hours early for both international and domestic flights.
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), in a letter addressed to travel agents, said they would close their check-in counters 90 minutes before the departure of flights.
PIA country manager Shahzad Paracha said they would close their counters at least 10 to 20 minutes earlier than usual at the new airport. “At the old airport, our aircraft used to land quite close to the gate and one could manage.
“But at the new airport, we’ll wrap up at least 30 minutes earlier than usual. One has to realise it’s a huge airport. It takes one about 7-8 minutes to walk from the parking space. If you have lots of luggage with you, it’ll take you slightly longer. The walk from the counter to the boarding area takes another 15 minutes.
“Moreover, it’s a silent airport. We just don’t want the passengers to get confused and end up at the wrong gate, for instance. So, I would suggest coming early and you’ll enjoy your journey. Because I have to fulfil my duty and ensure timely departures,” Paracha said.
The PIA country manger added that passengers had to get a baggage token at the new airport and submit the same at another spot, which takes more time.
Jet Airways country manager Wasim Zaidi said some trouble was expected at the new facility, and coming in early was the best solution.
Policy
“We would advise passengers to be very early in the first six months. At the old airport, we used to close the counter at the last moment because of hagglers, but officially we’re supposed to do it 60 minutes before take-off. We’ll retain the 60-minute policy at the new airport,” he said.
Sri Lankan Airlines country manager Sharuka Vikramaadittiya advised passengers to show up even earlier than three hours before departure.
“We have asked travel agents to tell their passengers to be as early as possible for their flights at the new airport. We closed our counter an hour before departure at the old airport. We’ll do the same at the new airport, but one has to realise that the old airport was small and that made it easier to locate unaware passengers. Plus, announcements helped them, too. It won’t be the case now,” he said.
Air India country manager Mahesh Choudhary and Kuwait Airways country manager Rajan Jayaraman said their airlines would close their counters an hour before take-off, in keeping with the global norms, and hoped the transition would be smooth.