OSL transfer times

[radeng]

I've just been told that a transfer from international to domestic in Norway means baggage claim and recheck. How long does one need to allow? I have a booking which gives 55 minutes in Oslo between arrival from LHR and departure for Kristiansand. Any opinions if this is OK, tight, or completely out of the question?

[Shack37]

Radeng

I used to do frequent OSL transfers and 55 minutes is very tight if not out of the question unless things have changed. Having to clear customs at first Norwegian arrival airport was always a bummer.
One other thing.....don't get mixed up between Kristiansand and Kristiansund, even Norwegians do it occasionally.

[Donkey497]

I fly through OSL quite frequently & will be there on Monday as a matter of fact, but 55 minutes is tight. you'll probably come in at the very end of the terminal & it's a fair march to baggage reclaim & customs. Customs clearance & immigration though is extremely efficient & I wouldn't expect the two to occupy anything more than five minutes.

I haven't done a direct transfer at OSL yet, so I can't say how the process goes, but there are plenty of folks to ask. However, if you then need to phyiscally check in again at a departures desk & re-screen at security 55 minutes is not going to cut it. Security is always busy at OSL & I've never taken less than 15 minutes to get through. Likewise, many of the bag drop desks after the common user self service terminals can be quite busy also. Norwegians tend to do more flying or sailing than driving or rail travel, purely as a result of geography, so the internal flights tend to be frequent but fairly busy & your speed through security can suffer a bit as a result.

[radeng]

Thankyou both very much. I've changed the flight and now have four and a half hours for the transfer. Coming back, I've two and a half hours which should be OK.

I had noticed the difference between Kristiansand and Kristiansund.....but made sure that I'm going to KRS!

I can understand why a lot of the people going to this particular meeting were bitching about the choice.........they would have preferred Sophia Antipolis as there's direct flights to Nice from many places. However, going to Norway, one can get duty free. Probably best when picking up the baggage to put the whisky in the checked baggage, as one does in the US..

[Avionker]

The beer and wine in France is a lot cheaper, and much nicer. France would have been my choice for sure. As picturesque as Norway may be it's unbelievably expensive....

Good choice to change your flights by the way, a 55 minute transfer was going to be very tight, I've missed a connection there before with just over an hour to do it. In my defence I didn't book the flights, the agency I was working for did.

Oh and a word of warning, stay away from Ringnes beer, it's chemical muck that will give you a hangover if you so much as have a sip of it.

[Donkey497]

Oh and a word of warning, stay away from Ringnes beer, it's chemical muck that will give you a hangover if you so much as have a sip of it.

Oh, I don't know, you get used to it.......:E

[radeng]

Is drinking that like banging your head on a brick wall - better when you stop?

I haven't been to Norway since 1993, and that was only to Oslo. A meeting where we were still drafting documents at 0230! I had just come back from california, too - do not go home, etc.

[farci]

Quote:
Oh and a word of warning, stay away from Ringnes beer, it's chemical muck that will give you a hangover if you so much as have a sip of it.
I tend to agree with the comments about Ringnes.

There are decent beers in Norway and I would recommend Aas Beer (http://english.aass.no/) (no sniggering in the back :uhoh:) from Drammen.

A Norwegian friend told me, however, they did have some diffculty with this brand name in USA

[radeng]

Thanks for the info.