Connections at Changi Airport

[dabear]

We are considering flying from Siem Reap to Changi arriving at 7:15pm on Singapore AL and connecting to our 8:40pm United flight back to the US. Is this enough time to make it considering there is some sort of connecting visa you must obtain from Singapore customs, and there may be a terminal change? The alternative is to stay overnight at an airport hotel and catch a flight the following morning (which I would prefer not to do).

[Globaliser]

Is this for a date in November 2019? If so, then don't get too hung up yet about exact times, for two reasons:-

1. You probably can't yet see timetables for flights in November 2019. The new scheduling season (northern winter 2019/20) will start on Sunday 27 October 2019, but unless you have specialist access to something that looks that far ahead, it's likely to be at least another 10 days - and possibly more than that - before you will get reliable access to real schedules for 27 October 2019 and beyond.
2. And even when you can, as it is so far out from the actual flight date, there will be substantial chances of schedule changes between now and the date of the flight.

The other question is whether your plan is to buy one ticket to cover both flights, in other words a through ticket from Siem Reap to the US. If so, then when you get to Singapore, it should be the case that all you will need to do is to go to your onward gate. You should be able to do this completely airside, without having to clear either immigration or customs. (In Singapore, security is done at the gate, so even if there is a queue there, you are already at the gate and your presence can be seen.)

 

I don't know where you have got the information that you need either to get a connecting visa or that you need to have any contact with customs (or immigration). If you were to buy two separate tickets, then that might be the case, but if you have a through ticket this should not be necessary.

 

Finally, a quick look suggests that the REP-SIN flight is likely actually to be operated by SilkAir, which is a Singapore Airlines subsidiary - but you will probably already have seen that.

[dabear]

Thanks for your response. Yes, I am looking at November, 2019, but since I am planning to use ff miles for business class to/from the US, I will be booking that portion of my trip around 330 days out. Thus I need to figure out my return date with connecting flights. Again, I will have to be using two separate tickets and I did see something on the Changi website about transit visa or something. Based on personal experiences, at certain airports such as Heathrow or Frankfort, we prefer to have at least 2 hours for connecting flights.

 

 

[Globaliser]

55 minutes ago, dabear said:

Yes, I am looking at November, 2019, but since I am planning to use ff miles for business class to/from the US, I will be booking that portion of my trip around 330 days out. Thus I need to figure out my return date with connecting flights. Again, I will have to be using two separate tickets ...

 

Could you not try to book an award ticket that covers Siem Reap - Singapore - US? If you have that on one ticket, then you'll be assured of baggage through-checking and you won't have to go landside.

 

If you have two separate tickets and you can't persuade SilkAir to through-check your bag onto the UA flight to the US, then I have heard it said that the airside transfer desks at SIN can organise to have your bag collected for you and then re-tagged for your onward flight. However, you'd want to get some more detail from someone who knows rather more about whether and how this works. This might be a way of avoiding a landside transfer and baggage collection even if you do have two separate tickets.

 

If you have two separate tickets, then personally I would not regard two hours as enough, regardless of whether you can be assured that your bags would be through-checked. If your first flight is delayed even by 90 minutes, then you've no-showed for your second flight and that ticket could be toast. You don't have the same worry if you're on a through ticket, because you then have a contractual entitlement to be reaccommodated on a later flight, re-routed if necessary.

 

However, as far as I can see from the database used by airlines, if you are a US citizen then you wouldn't need a visa even if you have to clear immigration and customs to landside at Singapore.

[Tara Jane]

Not long enough don't put yourself through the stress of risking a missed flight.

SIngapore airport is one of the best to have to kill some time, lots to do and seel.  

Check into one of the transit hotels available in 6 hour blocks, reasonable price and includes breakfast.

Nice to have a shower and a bed,  after the 6 hours go for breakfast and then prepare for your onward flight.

The transit hotel we stayed at was airside so no need to go through immigration.