grandmaster b

I recently booked a one way AAdvantage award on JAL from MNL-LAX. Travel is not until February 2012. The AAdvantage CSR took my credit card and had no problem charging the taxes and fees over the phone. A few days later I received an email asking me to call AAdvantage. They proceeded to tell me that they were not permitted to accept payment over the phone for this award and that I have to pay at an American Airlines desk at any airport.

I have had prior AAdvantage awards on JAL and other One World partners, and have never been required to go to the airport in order to have the award ticketed. So is this right, or is something really wrong with the booking and no one can give me the correct answer?

JJeffrey

Your issue is that your award starts in MNL. Check out this thread for details on how to ticket an award from the Philippines...

<circular link redacted post-merge>

millionmiler

Exactly. MNL is a special case that you were likely unaware of.

grandmaster b

I had started a new thread regarding my recent experience trying to ticket an AAdvantage award MNL-LAX. Before I had a chance to read through this thread regarding the ticketing procedure, my dad (the tickets are for my parents) went to LAX to have them printed at the AA desk as I was instructed to do last night by an AAdvantage CSR.

They charged him $17.50 per ticket and the tickets were then printed and handed to him. Based on the wiki, does this mean the printing of the tickets was all for naught? Or does anyone know if the process involving tickets ex-MNL has changed? Also was the $17.50 an AA printing fee or is this the collection of Philippine tax?

I guess at this point, who should I call (if anyone) to get the most accurate information? AA CTO in Manila? JAL, since the flight is with them?

JY1024

Earlier thread now merged into this thread to consolidate discussion. /Moderator

mike_asia

i would contact AA in manila to make sure everything is all right. My understanding is the tickets have to be issued by the office in Manila. Better to be safe than sorry.

AA in the USA does not seem to understand.

Don't understand this because I can book a ticket originating in Manila for Continental without all of this mess.

seawolf

Looks like I will have to do an award ticket ex-MNL to KUL. Thanks to HKG_Flyer1 for bringing awareness to this issue.

However there are several conflicting posts.

Sounds like ticketing with CC without physically in MNL is possible.

Sounds like ticketing with CC without physically in MNL is NOT possible.

Sounds like the entire issue can be avoided if paper tickets are issued.

seawolf

I hope grandmaster b does call and find out. But my experience in general is if the ticket is issued as paper, it's ticketed. The only thing they may want at check-in is to ask to pay for taxes but again, I haven't been to the Philippines.

I think the problem is related to the travel tax. It applies to all Philippine national regardless of where ticket is issued. It doesn't look like the tax applies to tourists but paperwork might be involved to avoid the tax according to the PAL FAQ.

According to here, the tax can be pay at the airport during the tax office business hours. If you check-in outside of business hours, the airline is not going to let you check-in without a tax receipt. Tourist are exempt but not sure if merely showing a foreign passport will qualify for exemption or paperwork is involved.

HKG_Flyer1

As others have noted, the unique problem with purchasing paid or award tickets originating in the Philippines is due to a Philippine law associated with the collection of certain travel taxes. The primary control exercised by the Philippine government with respect to the collection of this particular tax is the issuance of tickets, which the government apparently prohibits without the collection of this certain tax, payable only in cash.

In my experience, the compliance pattern of individual airlines with respect to this law is uneven, at best. Some foreign airlines allow for purchase of tickets online without prior payment of this tax; others do not.

Once you have the confirmed tickets in hand, and have reconfirmed that with the airline that your reservation is ticketed and confirmed, I'd hazard a guess to say you're home free-- at worst, you might have to fork over cash for the tax at the airport prior to departure.

Let us know what happens.

seawolf

If I do go thru with the award, I'll report on findings.

After reading another board, I don't think the problem is the collection of travel tax. The issue is tickets issued in the Philippines require a check of credit card and ID of credit card owner.

eucalyptic

I'm reading this with interest because I have a one way award ticket from MNL - LAX via CX but I used BA miles. I did the booking over the phone and was charged by credit card without issues. I have no paper ticket, just an e-ticket but there is a ticket number which I have confirmed with CX. I wonder if this situation has happened to anybody using BA miles for their award booking.

Re Travel Tax, I fly in and out of MNL all the time and have never been charged this fee. I was told it was because it's for Philippine citizens. However, everyone gets charged the $15 or so terminal fee.

seawolf

Thanks for the first hand account.

I just purchased a MNL-KUL on MH using Expedia. No problems with ticketing either (eticket number generated). I did notice when I try to buy the same ticket on the MH website, it charges for travel tax whereas Expedia didn't.

Expedient

We have a Business Process Oursourcing / Travel Company in Metro Manila - I am glad to help fellow EXPs and other trusted Flyertalkers with tickets originating in Manila (e.g. sending our staff to the ticketing counter, etc.).

JDiver

That's very generous of you, and it could make flying with tickets purchased in the PI more, er, expedient.

Cornloaf

I booked a ticket back in Jan 2009 for my girlfriend to fly form MNL - YVR. I gotl that call back from AA a day later (1 day before she would travel) asking me to contact them. That's when I found out all about the special requirements there. Even though I paid $100 or so for the award ticket, she had to pay some ticket issuance fee and taxes in cash. AA contacted MNL and found out how much it would be so I sent her. The fees were nearly triple and had to be paid in cash. She nearly missed her flight that day.

A couple months ago I bought her a ticket on Etihad from MNL to LHR. I had to present my credit card to the Etihad ticket desk in LHR so they could verify the credit card. No problems there. When she checked in at the Etihad counter in MNL, they asked her to pay the additional travel taxes there. 1620 php in cash. I understand that if you travel business or first, that fee is nearly doubled. I was told the tax was included in that ticket, but oh well.

Now I am booking her an award flight from MNL - LHR via CX and I reminded the agent of the special requirements in MNL. She did everything as per the wiki on this thread. The only thing different this time is that she's traveling business class and not economy. Does that mean she pays the 1st class tax? I also got jammed because I booked her for Monday and AA's GSA does not have weekend hours. There was no other way to pay the fees apparently.