In transit inside Mumbai International Airport for 12 hours
 

I am about to do the "flight from hell" - Basel - London - Mumbai - Kuala Lumpur - Melbourne - Hobart. Leave 1st May and arrive 4th May.
I am carrying a musical instrument that I have CITES permission to take from Switzerland to Australia. It has ivory on it. I carry it as hand luggage.
I am not sure if I will have check in luggage or not. I am thinking about whether this would just make the whole trip too much and stay with a small back pack with just flight essentials in it.
I arrive in Mumbai at 10.40am and fly out at 11.55pm. This is a 13 hour stop over.
What I would like to do is go somewhere to sleep, wash, lie down and be quiet.
But I am not able to clear customs until I get to Australia - due to having the instrument with ivory on it.
It seems there is no where to go inside Mumbai airport. Am I correct? Or have things improved since the last postings?
Also a question about transfer from one flight to another. I arrive to Terminal 2 on a Kingfisher flight. I then will fly out on a Malaysia Airlines flight. The first booking ends at Mumbai and the 2nd booking begins at Mumabia - if you understand what I mean. I assume that I would have to collect my luggage from the Kingfisher flight and then take it to the Malaysian airlines flight? Or can I book it through from Basel even though I made 2 bookings - Basel to Mumbai and then Mumbai to Australia. I did it this way to use up airpoints. The first time I have ever done this.
It is due to the above that I may just not bother to take luggage and just leave it in Europe - in the bin probably!
What do you think?
1. 13 hr stop over in Mumbai and unable to leave International Terminal
2. The luggage between flights at Mumbai
Thanks for reading this and your suggestions

I'm not sure you can stay in Mumbai airport for 13 hours. Have you checked with the airlines? Usually you aren't allowed in Indian airports until 2-3 hours before your flight - that's why they're short on services. Same in Pakistan - I was banished to a cafe not in the airport "proper" to wait out a layover.

Oh god. This really turning into the flight from hell isn't it. I will check it out with the airlines.
Thanks for the warning.

U woudnt be able to leave the airport without an Indian Visa either..I was just in
the Mumbai Airport a few months ago, it has been renovated recently..there are a few nice cafes and some sitting areas with a few comfy chairs if u are lucky enough to snag one.. I dont thing there was anywhere to lounge though, but was too tired, didn't really notice.. 13 hours would be quite boring and u will have ur luggage with you, not sure either if they would allow this....hmmmm! :)

According to this site there are rooms in Terminal 2 - http://sleepinginairports.com/asia/bombay.htm - but it looks like they are land-side.

Thanks for your thoughts so far.
I will see about a visa tomorrow - I have a British Passport.
I will also check with authorities here to see if the certificate that I get that allows me to take my instrument into Australia will also cover the stopover in Mumbai
So if all the above happens and is OK. Then I can go to one of the hotels
But if not.....
I am also seeing if I can change my flights and start all over again, not landing in Mumbai. Obviously I made a very big mistake.
I have learned my lesson. For me - always book through an agent. They know about things I don't!

Before you do anything drastic, do check with the airlines!

Is it possible to ship your instrument to your destination ahead of time?

Hi
Yes I will check with the airlines
My instrument is so delicate. It is a lute. When you hold it up to the sun the light shines through the wood. This is why it is always hand luggage. It could be shipped by a company such as Pack and Send - they can pack extremely well - it would be very expensive. I would worry the whole time, but it would probably arrive intact with them.
The truth is I am at the end of nearly 4 years away - living off my savings. I had Aus$1000 and 32,000 air points and thought I was being really clever being able to get to Australia on this, the last of what I have. I realised I had almost left it too late. So I was very relieved to find I could get these flights for the price.
But I wasn't so clever was I!
So I will see. I just feel very tired and want to go home but if it ends up I can't then I can go to the UK as I can live there. But at the moment thats not really what I want to do. But at least I have that as a final option. Many people in the world don't have that. Anyway, it is all a learning experience. A big one.

I did find this on the Air India website:

"General:
Transit area is located at the mezzanine floor of the Terminal Building. Passengers from Mumbai on completion of departure formalities are required to proceed to transit area for boarding the aircraft. International passengers through checked-in from Indian domestic points to international points and vice versa en-route Mumbai are connected directly through transit."

is there any way you can change your flights so that you fly all the way on the same airline? swiss for instance or luftansa or BA??? or better still Quantas

Seriously, change your flights.

You can do ZRH-LHR-SIN-MEL-HBA on BA and Qantas in 30 hours (and
similar via FRA instead of LHR) for under $2k with a throwaway return
(I assume this is a one-way trip). SIN is one of the best airports in
the world for transfers.

Even when I'm actually going to India, I avoid transfers in India and
instead try to do them in SIN or BKK or some other place where the
system is more functional and user-friendly.

Ah, I see, you are doing it with miles and don't have a lot of $$, so my suggestion isn't very helpful.

Older Indian airports often have "retiring rooms", or restaurants hidden away (often upstairs) where you can hang out for hours. I've passed through the new Mumbai airport but didn't notice if it had these. The general facilities there are pretty brutal. If you are able to leave the airport, there are several hotels right there. Traffic is bad so I wouldn't book a place much further away to save money.

Thanks again everyone. I have found I can change or cancel the first leg of the flight Basel - London - Mumbai.
I am waiting to see what Malaysian Airlines say.
This will go down in history as one of the great travel stuff ups!

I am on the phone to Expedia now and they are cancelling the Basel - London - Mumbai flight. Expedia are great to deal with.
I will phone Malaysian Airlines this morning and see if I can book Frankfurt to KL with them and then pick up my "air points" flight from KL.
Malaysaian Airlines has a special on at this very moment - frankfurt to KL for around $623 inc taxes.
I will risk going out of Frankfurt. Now that I think of it, if the Swiss Govt has given me permission to go from Switzerland to Australia with my instrument and I have plane tickets showing I am going all the way to Australia - there should be no problem.
I can catch a train to Frankfurt
I feel much better in all respects, leaving from Frankfurt than Mumbai. I was so used to airports like Kuala Lumpur that I just assumed Mumbai would be the same - with India becoming bigger in the world of business etc. I had no idea things there were so basic.
Thank you everyone.

KL makes some American airports look bad, lol.

I actually think the no admittance until near your flight, with a ticket, makes sense. If you've ever been in an Indian train station, with the entry hall and platforms full of sleeping people, or seen the number of family members meeting a single international flight in Kochi, you'd understand one possible reason. The other is likely security - only ticketed passengers allowed in, and ALL baggage, checked and carry-on, is X-rayed on entry.

Going through KL will be much easier for you. I'm so glad you were able to change the tickets!

the k/l airport is newish and first rate...world class..