Originally Posted by
Swiss Tony
Surely the big issue here is whether or not the individual was advised that the plane would make a transit stop in the US. This responsibility should (IMO) lie with the provider, be that the agent or airline. If you buy a ticket on a Canadian airline to fly from Oz to Canada, it's by no means rational to assume you'll need a US visa.
So you feel that all airlines now have to be immigration experts as well? Should airlines have to keep completely up-to-date on US visa requirements for citizens of every single country in the world? What if a citizen of Burkina Faso wishes to travel from Canada via the US to a third country? And if airlines were required to provide such guidelines, you can be sure there would lawsuits if they gave out information that was incorrect.