2

I am traveling from Cairo, Egypt to Sydney, Australia and I have a layover of 4 hours at CGK airport on 25 Jan 2021.

Ideally this shouldn't be a problem, however Garuda Indonesia is stating on its website that transit is not permitted for foreigners from 15-25 Jan 2021 due to COVID-19.

My question is does this affect my flight or connections are not affected.

If it's affected why does Turkish airlines sell this ticket in the first place without a warning.

Update 1: I contacted Turkish airlines and they are telling me that the flight is not affected, This is confusing to me as I also contacted the embassy of Indonesia in Egypt and they confirmed that a connection is not possible on that specific date.

Improve this question
4
  • 2
    Perhaps Indonesia's transit restrictions were put in place after the ticket was sold...or Turkish Air just wasn't paying attention. And...Australia is now extremely difficult to enter: many Australian citizens are stuck outside the country and would like to return home, but are prevented because of Australian pandemic rules. Would you be allowed entry? – DavidSupportsMonica Jan 20 at 1:15
  • 1
    @DavidSupportsMonica I have an exception to enter Australia on a work visa due to the nature of my job. And I booked this flight 2 days ago unaware of the jakarta airport restrictions that I can't still understand. It's the only flight I can find in the next 2 months – Antoine Raoul Iscaros Jan 20 at 1:24
  • The only flight from anywhere to Australia? If any other flights to Australia are available, you may have to go to or go through somewhere other than Indonesia to get there. – DavidSupportsMonica Jan 20 at 1:29
  • 1
    Yes, I can't find any other flight from anywhere to Australia other than this one. That's my third attempt to get to Sydney since December. – Antoine Raoul Iscaros Jan 20 at 10:20
2

Airlines sell tickets through multiple channels (both online and offline), and they are not required to verify each passenger's eligibility for entry or transit.

Moreover, it's impossible to reliably check entry requirements for each individual passenger automatically. For instance, had you been an Indonesian citizen or resident with the same ticket, perhaps you would have been allowed to transit. Even check-in agents can get this task wrong and occasionally need to ask superiors or wrongly refuse people.

If there is a warning on the website, it's usually generic, along the lines of "the passenger is responsible to comply with any entry or transit requirements".

Your best bet is to ask the airline to reschedule your flight or rebook you on a different itinerary. One time, British Airways rebooked me for free when my ineligibility to transfer was discovered upon check-in. However, this is a courtesy, not an obligation, so make sure to ask nicely.

Improve this answer
1

As far as I'm aware, the only airline currently flying non-stop from Jakarta to Sydney is Garuda. If Garuda is really not permitting transit through CGK, your itinerary appears to be impossible.

If Turkish Airways has sold you this as a single itinerary, they are responsible for getting you to Sydney, so I suggest you reach out and ask them for alternatives. Flight capacity to Australia is extremely limited right now though.

Checking with Garuda would also not hurt, maybe they have an exception worked out for Turkish or something. They won't be able to help with rerouting though.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.