Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs - PIA JFK flights

In searching flights to Pakistan from New York (JFK) for Pakistan International Airlines, I was just wondering if there is a certain reason why websites such as www.amadeus.net or www.expedia.ca don't seem to include PIA flights (at least when I tried). Secondly, the flight from JFK seems to route via Manchester, England before continuing onto Lahore and Karachi. However, just checking JFK Airport and Manchester Airport on wikipedia, neither acknowledge the other as a destination for PIA. I assume this is simply a similar deal to Qantas' JFK-SYD flights that don't acknowledge LAX as a destination since you can't purchase tickets from JFK-LAX on QF. Any answers would be helpful.

In searching flights to Pakistan from New York (JFK) for Pakistan International Airlines, I was just wondering if there is a certain reason why websites such as www.amadeus.net or www.expedia.ca don't seem to include PIA flights (at least when I tried). Secondly, the flight from JFK seems to route via Manchester, England before continuing onto Lahore and Karachi. However, just checking JFK Airport and Manchester Airport on wikipedia, neither acknowledge the other as a destination for PIA. I assume this is simply a similar deal to Qantas' JFK-SYD flights that don't acknowledge LAX as a destination since you can't purchase tickets from JFK-LAX on QF. Any answers would be helpful.

Unfortunately PK really hasn't signed up via expedia, orbitz, ect......one can basically get a ticket through various travel agencies...

PK does have 5th freedom rights for JFK-MAN-JFK (which is different than QF's LAX-JFK flight, as that would be "cabotage rights")...In other words, on can certainly purchase a JFK-MAN-JFK ticket with PK..

Also, the flight certainly is JFK-MAN-Pakistan....I plan on taking this flight in a few months....^

I can say with almost 100% certainty, the price/service ratio for PK in J-class is the best..I'm not saying they have the best J-class, what I'm saying is the price one pays and the value one gets is not comparable to other airlines, and I've flown EK, BA J-class also...One cannot get a better service for the price they are paying for J-class on PK....

I highly recommend it..^

The reason PIA has to go through MAN (even though their equipment can fly directly to Pakistan) is because the TSA requires PIA's passengers to go through a more rigid screening from an European country. I guess TSA does not trust the Pakistani screening authorities to screen passengers well enough. This is something that I found out from a PIA FA while flying to Malaysia from Karachi. He said that PIA had all their marketing materials all printed out and were touting their karachi-jfk non-stop flight when at the last minute TSA pulled the plug on the non-stop flights! Evidently everyone at PIA were very disappointed. He did mention to me that Canada did not have an issue with the non-stops and therefore PIA flies to Toronto non-stop from Pakistan.

Fully agree w/ Jacobin777 re/ his assessment of PIA J Class. I used to travel IAH-KHI and ORD-KHI on PIA fairly regularly at one time. I found the J-Class seats comfy, the service good and the food excellent (and I don't normally touch airline meals).

Re/ on-line visibility to PIA flights, Travelocity and Expedia has had them listed for a while now. I've even made DFW-KHI bookings on Travelocity Business a couple of times.

The reason PIA has to go through MAN (even though their equipment can fly directly to Pakistan) is because the TSA requires PIA's passengers to go through a more rigid screening from an European country.

This is not a problem any more and news has recently emerged that it was never a problem for LHE and KHI originating flights anyway. PIA has announced that it will be starting non-stop flights from Pakistan to JFK and back starting March 30, 2008.

I remember than in the past, it was optional to exit the aircraft in Manchester for PIA transit passengers. But now, it is mandatory and the British screeners are unusually rude. The lines are quite long and move at a snails pace. I've had my run-ins with the screeners and got into a shouting match one time.

I now fly Etihad via Abu Dhabi.

I remember than in the past, it was optional to exit the aircraft in Manchester for PIA transit passengers. But now, it is mandatory and the British screeners are unusually rude. The lines are quite long and move at a snails pace. I've had my run-ins with the screeners and got into a shouting match one time.

I now fly Etihad via Abu Dhabi.


You can always refuse to leave the aircraft. I have done this a few times at MAN as have a number of elderly passengers and young mums traveling w/ their babies. PIA will not force you to get off if you are persistent. Besides, who cares about UK and US regulations? - they can go to hell!

BTW, if you elect to stay on board, you will have the privilege of watching the cleaning crew totally refresh the aircraft in about 30 minutes! It's an amazing sight - just don't get in their way or argue with them - if they complain it will be problematic for other passengers who don't want to go through screening at MAN in the future.

FTers, please put a PIA report onto the end of the Trip Report thread, if you have any reports of recent trips.

The review list is probably larger than you think. :D

Yeah, Wikipedia is hardly an authoritative source.

I had one of the best airline meals I have ever had on PIA (IIRC, it was a 747-100 on the upper deck from KHI-ISB) -- a truly spicy Pakistani curry. In a few short-haul segments on this airline, I have been satisfied. I probably wouldn't take it to the U.S. (because of the lack of frequent flier miles), but thanks, all, for the reviews.

You can always refuse to leave the aircraft. I have done this a few times at MAN as have a number of elderly passengers and young mums traveling w/ their babies. PIA will not force you to get off if you are persistent. Besides, who cares about UK and US regulations? - they can go to hell!

BTW, if you elect to stay on board, you will have the privilege of watching the cleaning crew totally refresh the aircraft in about 30 minutes! It's an amazing sight - just don't get in their way or argue with them - if they complain it will be problematic for other passengers who don't want to go through screening at MAN in the future.

Unless something has changed since last summer, one must leave the plane and take their belongings with them in Manchester and PIA has nothing to do with it. My sister-in-law came back from LHE last summer and initially refused to leave the plane as she was traveling with an infant and did not want to go through the humiliation known as security check at MAN.

There were few other passengers ( mostly elderly ) who decided to stay despite the fact that PIA staff told them they must leave the plane. Few minutes later, UK security personnel came on board and ordered everyone to get their S--T together and leave the plane or they will be forced out.

I experienced this nightmare in 2004 and decided that its too much for me. I don't know if PIA or the government of Pakistan can do anything about it but what goes on at MAN is pure humiliation. I do know that i am not alone in feeling that way and PIA has lost lot of business on this route due to MAN security stopover.

This is not a problem any more and news has recently emerged that it was never a problem for LHE and KHI originating flights anyway. PIA has announced that it will be starting non-stop flights from Pakistan to JFK and back starting March 30, 2008.


Hi PhlyingRph,

Any update on this? I have not seen anything about it.
My mother-in-law is coming later this month on PK711 from LHE and i was told that this flight indeed will have the mandatory stopover at MAN.

Hi PhlyingRph,

Any update on this? I have not seen anything about it.
My mother-in-law is coming later this month on PK711 from LHE and i was told that this flight indeed will have the mandatory stopover at MAN.

Takhliq1 - I haven't flown PIA since they axed the IAH and ORD flights so I don't know what the current situation is at MAN. I have never experienced UK security boarding the aircraft to get people out of their seats - I personally would have refused and would have enjoyed watching them trying to pick me up and throw me off the plane. The great thing about the UK is that the police are much more civilized than their deranged US counterparts and don't shoot you in the head twenty times for having brown skin and refusing an order (well, usually not anyway).

Why don't you post your question in the "PIA and Pakistani Aviation" Forum section at http://www.historyofpia.com/ I believe there is a PIA Traffic Officer based in MAN who posts there frequently and is most helpful.

Wow! It appears that the Middle East wasn't content with gobbling up what used to be referred to as Near East and has started expanding to the other side. That's more like a Middle Beast. :p

I have never experienced UK security boarding the aircraft to get people out of their seats - I personally would have refused and would have enjoyed watching them trying to pick me up and throw me off the plane.

I would not suggest you try this. They are authorised to and would indeed not hesitate to use force to remove you. If you continued to resist, you would likely be charged and subsequently deported back to point of origin. I have seen this happen to people (not at Manchester but another UK airport) who tried to offer civil disobedience against the policy.

There is an EU regulation that requires all passengers on a flight segment departing from the EU to have been security screened at an airport within the EEC. This has led to a major redesign of a number of terminals (most notably AMS which had to abandon the "central search" concept for the non-Schengen gates) and the implementation of policies such as this. It is a condition that PIA (or any other carrier) must agree to as part of their license to operate to/from the UK. The DfT does not take kindly to any violation of this policy.

I would not suggest you try this. They are authorised to and would indeed not hesitate to use force to remove you. If you continued to resist, you would likely be charged and subsequently deported back to point of origin.

I know. I assure you my bark is a lot worse than my bite. In fact, there is no bite. :D