Originally Posted by
Helen F
So the question remains, which will prevail at check-in, AA's rule or TIMATIC? I read convincing posts above that said the latter, but still, one worries. I wrote to AA Customer Service, if I get a useful reply I'll share it here.
There is a long thread about a guy who was denied boarding on a Transit Without Visa ticket to China.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...arding-aa.html
Essentially, the passenger was denied boarding due to the AA ticket agent's interpretation of TIMATIC. The passenger incurred a lot of expense, and eventually got through to someone at AA who was able to address his situation properly. If you read the thread, skip to the end and read about the resolution.
My own take-home lesson from this present thread and the TWOV thread is to not take chances. It's not that big a deal to renew a passport (or get a Chinese visa).
I would rather do that than risk missing my trip, incurring other expense and having to deal with fighting for a refund and other compensation.
Murphy knew all about human nature when he wrote his Law.