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AI refuses boarding owing to no oz visa for interanational transfer in syd

AI refuses boarding owing to no oz visa for interanational transfer in syd

Old Jan 18, 2015, 4:35 pm
  #1  
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AI refuses boarding owing to no oz visa for interanational transfer in syd

not sure this is the best forum to post this, but since the flight was on AI I thought I'd start here (mod: feel free to transfer).

I booked a flight bhx-del-syd using UA miles for my son, and he bought a same day onward ticket to CHC (leaving around 6 hours after the arrival of the AI flight). AI in BHX denied him boarding as he had no oz visa and no BP yet (too early to check in for the syd-chc flight).

I know obvious for transiting in USA one needs a visa but not heard this elsewhere. Were they right?

luckily I was able to cancel the flight and get full refund of miles and taxes before departure but he had a wasted train journey and had to buy a train back to Leeds and now no Y availability.
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Old Jan 18, 2015, 4:47 pm
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Not even close to enough information in the OP. But, simple answer is that AI relies on IATA's database TIMATIC. It's available free at the link below. Fill in all of the blanks and it will provide the exact requirements.

http://www.staralliance.com/en/servi...sa-and-health/
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Old Jan 18, 2015, 5:02 pm
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Originally Posted by Often1
Not even close to enough information in the OP. But, simple answer is that AI relies on IATA's database TIMATIC. It's available free at the link below. Fill in all of the blanks and it will provide the exact requirements.

http://www.staralliance.com/en/servi...sa-and-health/
sorry for lack of info -- thought I'd start simple. I filled in the black (useful link!) and still can't see a reason. His flight to chc left with 8 hours so that wasn't the reason.

according to the info returned (below) there is no reason for DB that I can see :-(

--

National United Kingdom (GB)
Embarkation United Kingdom (GB)/Transit Australia (AU)
Destination New Zealand (NZ)
ALSO CHECK DESTINATION INFORMATION BELOW


Australia (AU)


TWOV (Transit Without Visa):
Visa required, except for Holders of onward tickets for a max.

transit For details, click here time of 8 hours:
- for holders of British passports;

Additional Information:

- Note: the following restrictions are in place depending on

arrival airport:For details, click here
- Valid visas in full or expired travel documents are accepted
provided accompanied by new travel document.
For details, click here





Australia (AU)


Passengers arriving within 6 days after leaving or transiting

countries on Australia's list of yellow fever declared places,
at www.health.gov.au/yellowfever and not holding a yellow
fever vaccination certificate are subject to quarantine for 6

days. Australia's yellow fever declared places reflects the
list of countries with risk of yellow fever transmission
For details, click here with these exceptions:
- addition of Paraguay;

- Argentina limited to only the Misiones Province; and

- Galapagos Islands excluded from Ecuador.


New Zealand (NZ)



Passport required.
- Passports issued to nationals of United Kingdom must be

valid for at least 1 month beyond the period of intended
stay.
- British passports endorsed British Citizen that have been

extended 12 months by an extension stamp contained within
the passport are accepted.

Visa required, except for Holders of British passports

holding:
- passport endorsed British Citizen (max. permitted stay 6

months);
- passport which contains a Certificate of Entitlement to the

Right of Abode issued by the United Kingdom(max. permitted
stay 6 months);
- in addition to their passport, alternative documentary

evidence to establish right of abode in the United
Kingdom,For details, click here
- passport endorsed British National (Overseas) for a max.

stay of 3 months.
Minors:
- Minors entering New Zealand For details, click here
Additional Information:

- Visitors are required to hold proof of sufficient funds to
cover their stay. For details, click here
- Visitors are required to hold documents for their next
destination.

Warning:
- Holders of British passports endorsed British Citizen or

British National (Overseas) or containing a Certificate of

Entitlement to the Right of Abode issued by the United

Kingdom; must hold return/onward tickets. (SEE NOTE 53749)

NOTE 53749: Exempt are holders of authorization issued by

New Zealand's immigration authorities waiving the return

ticket requirement.

- Visitors holding a visa that specifies the requirement to
hold an outward ticket must hold return/onward tickets. (SEE

NOTE 53749)
NOTE 53749: Exempt are holders of authorization issued by

New Zealand's immigration authorities waiving the return

ticket requirement.






New Zealand (NZ)


Vaccinations not required.


CHECK TINEWS/N1 - TURKEY: PASSPORT VALIDITY REQUIREMENT
CHANGE EFFECTIVE 1 JANUARY 2015



Timaticweb Version 1.3
18 January 2015
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Old Jan 18, 2015, 5:04 pm
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my son says the checkin agents agreed he didn't need a visa it's just that AI's broken checkin system wouldn't issue a BP!
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Old Jan 19, 2015, 2:29 am
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Originally Posted by Leedsflyer
my son says the checkin agents agreed he didn't need a visa it's just that AI's broken checkin system wouldn't issue a BP!
AI is only being itself. Of course, there is also the Pakistan way: http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....ne-system-goes
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Old Jan 19, 2015, 3:38 am
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Originally Posted by Leedsflyer
my son says the checkin agents agreed he didn't need a visa it's just that AI's broken checkin system wouldn't issue a BP!
this seems like a strange excuse....very typical of ai....they should have been able to issue the bp....
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Old Jan 19, 2015, 1:47 pm
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2 things to note:

1) As far as AI were concerned, your son was travelling to SYD. How can they verify that his onward ticket was kosher if it is not part of of the same itinerary and they have no access to the actual e-ticket. Always the risk when you travel on one ways or separate booked tickets....more so when you go to a strict no nonsense country like Oz.

2) it's all good and well blaming AI for a broken check in system but the reality is that Aussie immigration are linked up to the check in systems for all airlines flying to Oz and if their computer says No....well then the answer is no. I see no reason why AI cannot check people in on one way tickets.....they do that all the time from The UK....their bread and butter passengers are Illegal Indians travelling on one way tickets ex-UK back to India when they have had enough.
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Old Jan 19, 2015, 2:05 pm
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Originally Posted by aktchi
AI is only being itself. Of course, there is also the Pakistan way: http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea....ne-system-goes
gulp!
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Old Jan 19, 2015, 2:11 pm
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Originally Posted by d3vski
2 things to note:

1) As far as AI were concerned, your son was travelling to SYD. How can they verify that his onward ticket was kosher if it is not part of of the same itinerary and they have no access to the actual e-ticket. Always the risk when you travel on one ways or separate booked tickets....more so when you go to a strict no nonsense country like Oz.

2) it's all good and well blaming AI for a broken check in system but the reality is that Aussie immigration are linked up to the check in systems for all airlines flying to Oz and if their computer says No....well then the answer is no. I see no reason why AI cannot check people in on one way tickets.....they do that all the time from The UK....their bread and butter passengers are Illegal Indians travelling on one way tickets ex-UK back to India when they have had enough.
The issue wasn't the o/w but the fact he had no visa for oz, and they said that even if he applied for one online there and then it was too late for their computers.

Actually, it's clear he should always have had once, since it was a separate ticket and he had luggage and so would have to exit the transfer area to collect it since they wouldn't have interlined it. (I almost always travel hand luggage only, even to oz, so forget about these details ;-(

oh, well, last time we'll make that mistake (Though they never raised the issue of baggage collection verbally, but that may have been the reason their computer system wouldn't issue a bp.)
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Old Jan 19, 2015, 9:01 pm
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AI was correct. For non visa free countries, Australia requires that even if you are in transit and wish to remain airside you need to have at least a transit visa. There is no such thing as Transit Without Visa for these passport holders in Australia.

http://www.immi.gov.au/faqs/Pages/do...australia.aspx

Last edited by Xiaotung; Jan 19, 2015 at 9:06 pm
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Old Jan 20, 2015, 1:29 am
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Originally Posted by Xiaotung
AI was correct. For non visa free countries, Australia requires that even if you are in transit and wish to remain airside you need to have at least a transit visa. There is no such thing as Transit Without Visa for these passport holders in Australia.

http://www.immi.gov.au/faqs/Pages/do...australia.aspx
but he's a UK citizen so my reading is that he was exempt wouldn't have needed a transit visa -- except for the luggage issue, which would have meant he would have had to go landside. But if it had been a single ticket and hence through luggage, then no need for even a transit visa for a UK citien. Our fault though for not realising the need to go landside (should have known better!), but he actually got a visa within about an hour when he applied yesterday so it was a pain AI said that it was too late to even apply as it would probably have come through in time before the flight left (it was delayed). oh well... lesson learned...
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Old Jan 20, 2015, 1:54 am
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Originally Posted by Leedsflyer
but he's a UK citizen so my reading is that he was exempt wouldn't have needed a transit visa -- except for the luggage issue, which would have meant he would have had to go landside. But if it had been a single ticket and hence through luggage, then no need for even a transit visa for a UK citien. Our fault though for not realising the need to go landside (should have known better!), but he actually got a visa within about an hour when he applied yesterday so it was a pain AI said that it was too late to even apply as it would probably have come through in time before the flight left (it was delayed). oh well... lesson learned...
I can't really understand. UK citizens (unless he is not travelling with a UK passport) can enter Australia visa free, transit or not. Something is not right here.
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Old Jan 20, 2015, 2:06 am
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Were these one way tickets? Passport from which country?
My understanding NZ government requires an air ticket out before an airline will accept a passenger for carriage, unless you have some passports (e.g Australia). Yesterday I saw 3 people denied carriage Aust to NZ at Melbourne airport because they did not tickets out of NZ. Their protestations "we have a NZ visa" were not enough. Off to the ticket counter they went.
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Old Jan 20, 2015, 2:06 am
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Originally Posted by Xiaotung
I can't really understand. UK citizens (unless he is not travelling with a UK passport) can enter Australia visa free, transit or not. Something is not right here.
I assume you mean "can't enter..."

but the URL you gave says:

---

Categories of eligible travellers

The following categories of travellers are eligible to transit through Australia without applying for a visa:

... Citizens of the following countries: ... United Kingdom (including its colonies),...

Criteria

Eligible travellers must be able to meet the following criteria to be permitted to transit Australia without applying for a visa. Travellers must:

enter Australia by aircraft
hold a confirmed onward booking to leave Australia to travel to a third country on the same or another aircraft within 8 hours of arrival in Australia
hold documentation necessary to enter the country of destination
and
not need to leave the airport transit lounge except to continue their journey.

---

so citizens of UK (and a number of other countries) can transit visa free. He broke the last rule though because we forgot about the luggage issue as a separate ticket and no interlining (though AI didn't actually say this was the reason -- I think their computer is more knowledable than the agents at BHX ;-)
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Old Jan 20, 2015, 2:14 am
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Originally Posted by Mwenenzi
Were these one way tickets? Passport from which country?
My understanding NZ government requires an air ticket out before an airline will accept a passenger for carriage, unless you have some passports (e.g Australia). Yesterday I saw 3 people denied carriage Aust to NZ at Melbourne airport because they did not tickets out of NZ. Their protestations "we have a NZ visa" were not enough. Off to the ticket counter they went.
thanks for this! He was on a o/w ticket (actually two o/w bhx-syd and syd-chc). So he would have fallen foul of that. He doesn't know his return date yet, but will get him a UA award ticket for some future date which I can still cancel/rebook.

Of course this wasn't the reason that AI DB'd as they were only flying him to oz. But he would have had this problem in SYD for his onward leg to nz.
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