Travel details for India(Bangalore) to Canada(Calgary) for parents

This is a document i wrote for my Mom who traveled to Calgary for the first time alone, her flight was from Bangalore to Calgary via London.
I was very skeptical as she only had one hour to transit in Heathrow so i had asked for mobility assistance and it helped a lot.
Also make sure you ask for any special meal request and book the seats well in advance if you have a shorter transit.
Ask them to have some USD(couple of hundred would do) for emergency.

Here is goes...

• Take copies of passport first and last page, Canadian visa page, ticket and keep one copy in hand baggage and another in hand bag
• Do not at any time give your passport or ticket or boarding pass to anybody unknown
• Do not leave your passport or ticket or boarding pass anywhere except hand bag and always have the handbag with you

Things to have in handbag/with you : Ballpoint pen, books, winter coat, specs, passport, ticket, boarding pass

Things to have in hand baggage : Small Medicine, small pillow, copy of ticket, copy of passport, thermal pants, one set dress, toothpaste, toothbrush etc

Things NOT to have in hand baggage : oil/any liquid, food items

Things to put in check-in : oil, food items, bulk medicine

Tie a ribbon on the handle of check-in suitcase so that you can identify the suitcase easily while collecting your checked in luggage after landing in Canada

TO CALL ME: DIAL 1 xxx-xxx-xxxx

Flight no :

Bangalore to London : BAxxx8    (TERMINAL 5)

London to Canada: BAxxx3    (TERMINAL 5) – when you land in London look for this number in the departure board, it will tell you the gate for the next flight

 From India:

Go to airport 3 hours before flight departure i.e at 5 am on xx^th December

At Bangalore airport

After going to Bangalore airport, (only you will allowed inside the airport)

1.  Take the passport and ticket to airport entrance, the security will check it and let you in
2.  Go to security scan for check-in baggage(big suitcase) only (scanning machine)

3.  After getting security check(they will put a rubber stamp on the baggage), now go to British airways ticket counter with the check-in baggage, paper ticket and passport.

4.   The British airway person will see the ticket and passport and ask for how many check in baggage,
you have to say “one 1 or 2 in baggage”
5.   The BA person will take the baggage and give you boarding pass for Bangalore to London and London to Calgary
Bangalore to London flight has seat reserved for you (seat 33H)
6.    Ask the BA person that you have asked for wheel chair in London, will they take you from Bangalore London flight to London Calgary flight ?, where will they come ?, where will I need to go ?
7.    Get a tag for your hand baggage(small suitcase) and handbag from the ticket counter
8.    Now take the immigration form and fill it with details
Sample filled form :   (Fill in capitals only)

  9.    Now take your hand baggage, passport, ticket, boarding pass, immigration form to immigration counter(this will be a long line up)

 10.    Give immigration form, boarding pass and passport to officer at immigration counter
11.    The immigration person will ask you where, why your are traveling and how long
You have to say
“I am traveling to visit my son, daughter-in-law and grandson in Calgary, Canada”
“This is my first time and I will be in Canada for 1 month, I have return ticket(paper printout) also” (show the return ticket if the immigration officer ask it)
12.    After immigration you have to go to security check. Take the boarding pass(Bangalore to London) and passport in your hand, put everything else into the handbag and put the hand baggage and hand bag on the conveyor belt/scanning machine.

  After they check you and the baggage, they will put a stamp on your hand baggage and handbag
13.    After security check take hand baggage and you should go to the departure gate (this will be in your boarding pass)
If you want to buy water or anything to eat you can do it after security check, anything you buy before this security check will ask you to throw away
14.    At the departure gate they will announce when the flight is leaving by seat e.g they will announce “seat 1 to 10 can board” i.e persons having seat 1 to 10 can go to the plane. Your seat for Bangalore to London is 33H
Keep the passport and boarding pass (Bangalore to London) in your hand when you board the plane, the British airway person will check the passport and take boarding pass
15.    Inside the plane put passport inside handbag, you have to put the hand baggage into the luggage above your head, you can keep handbag with you, ask for air hostess help if you cannot put it by yourself
16.    You can ask for water or cool drinks any time, there will be button with a light sigh on you hand rest which if you press an air hostess will come
17.    You can reduce the AC by closing the vent on top of your head, you can switch of light by press the switch on the hand rest
18.    Ask for help from air hostess if you don’t know how to use the bathroom, the door will mostly be sliding or if you press in the middle it will fold and open. There is no water in the toilet, you have just flush it by pressing the handle.
There will water coming in tap to wash hand and paper tissue to dry your hand
19.    They will provide you with vegetarian meal
20.    You can watch movies etc in the TV on the front of you seat, use the remote in the handrest or sometimes touching the screen

When the plane comes close to London they will start announcing
Once the plane has landed in London the air hostess will announce when you can leave the plane (wait for the plane to come to a stop)
After the plane has stopped, you can ask the person next to you to get your hand baggage from the luggage

At London airport:
1.    After you get out of the plane show the boarding card to the person in uniform(who will be waiting), your boarding card will have a wheel chair symbol
or
There will be a wheelchair/electric cart waiting for you once you get out of the plane, they will take you to security check at London airport
2.    At security check take the boarding pass(London to Calgary) and passport in your hand, put everything else into the handbag and put the hand baggage and hand bag on the conveyor belt/scanning machine.
3.    After security check the wheel chair will take you to destination gate
4.    When they call for boarding, take passport and boarding pass and keep in hand
5.    Before landing in Calgary, the air hostess will give you a declaration form that you need to fill  Sample filled form: ( Fill in capitals only)

IN CASE YOU MISS THE CONNECTING FLIGHT
1.    DON’T PANIC
2.    GO TO THE NEAREST BRITISH AIRWAYS PERSON OR BRITISH AIRWAYS COUNTER (IN LONDON AIRPORT THERE SHOULD BE MANY)
3.    ASK FOR HELP SAYING THAT YOU MISSED THE CONNECTING FLIGHT – THEY WILL PUT YOU ON THE NEXT FLIGHT
4.    Call me by dialing 1xxxyyyzzzz
5.    YOU CHECK-IN BAGGAGE WILL COME AND WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU WHEN YOU COME TO CALGARY, YOU HAVE TO GO TO LOST AND FOUND BAGGAGE COUNTER TO COLLECT YOUR BAGGAGE

At Calgary airport:
1.    After you get out of plane follow other people to immigration (do not follow route to connecting flight)
2.    Go to the line which is for visitors i.e non Canadians
3.    Have the passport, customs declaration form in hand
4.    The immigration officer will ask for question like
 “why are you coming to Canada”
 you say "Visting my son and his family"
“is this your first trip”    
you say "Yes"
“how long you are staying in Calgary”
you say "1 month"
“where are you staying”
you say "With my son"

5.    After immigration you have to go collect the check-in baggage, the baggage will come to a conveyor which will have the flight number (BA xxx3) and also will say from London
Take a trolley to put the suitcase

6.    After you take the baggage, you have to go to customs, here you will give the declaration, if they ask what you are bringing just say
“spices for cooking and sweets”
7.    After that you can come out and I will be waiting in the entrance.

and she came to Calgary without any incident.

Also ask your parents to take a printout of some useful information such as below

My name is Sxxxxxxxxm Pxxxxxxxy,

I am travelling from Bangalore, India to Calgary, Canada to vist my Son, Daughter-in-law and Grandson.

My son is working in a software company in Calgary (Exxxxx Ltd)

His address is:

Sxxxxxxr Pxxxxxxy

Apt 1234, 333, 61 Ave NE, Calgary, Alberta T4R 4X9

Son’s mobile : 1 XXX XXX XXXX

Landline : 1 YYY YYY YYYY

My address:

4xxx, 3rd xxxx, Vxxxx colony, txxxxxxe, tamil nadu, india 6xxxxx9

My husbands number is 91 9xxxxxxxx9 or 919xxxxxxx7