Dave Noble

It is not the job of the airline staff to encourage the passenger to locate the information needed. The Canadian site referenced at the start states that an ETA is required and that for those issued after Aug 2015 to refer to letter

BA's job is solely to check that the passenger has all required documents to enter the destination country

Finkface

On the Government of Canada website, it is clear that the ETA is on your letter of introduction and that you should keep the ETA number:
If you apply for an initial work or study permit before you travel to Canada
You will get an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) automatically once your work or study permit application is approved. You don’t need to apply for an eTA or pay extra fees. Your eTA number will be included in the letter of introduction we will send you when your study or work permit is approved. Keep this number in case you need to contact us about your eTA.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcen...ic.asp?st=16.7

And even more relevant to your situation, it clearly says that a work permit alone is not sufficient for re-entry to Canada and that the ETA is needed, which I would guess is the reason they provide you with the ETA number and tell you to retain it - in case you need to prove to an airline that you have an ETA.
Can I leave and come back to Canada if I have a work permit?
Yes. However, a work permit isn’t a travel document. It doesn’t give you the right to travel to Canada. Along with your permit, you need either:

a temporary resident visa or
an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
Having an eTA or a visa, along with your work permit, doesn’t guarantee that we will let you back into Canada. You must show the border services officer that you meet all the requirements before we will let you re-enter.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcen...pic.asp?top=22

Enigma368

That all makes sense. I still wonder why BA could not lookup his eTA as normally happens. As I've said I travel to Canada on my Canadian work permit and Irish passport maybe once a month and have never once been asked for my eTA in 18 months. And in fact the OP was able to travel from BOS to YYZ without producing it(presumably they were able to locate it without him providing it).

So while I agree that the OP should have been able to provide it when asked and ultimately the responsibility falls on him, I do question if inexperience on the BA side or perhaps a BA system issue created a problem that need not have existed by failing to look it up as per normal. Ultimately both BA and the OP were misunderstanding the extent of this problem, which really could have been easily fixed if either side had understood what was needed(the eTA that is automatically generated with the work permit).

710 77345

If you're in doubt about this, starting the legal process is a relatively easy and cheap way to get BA to demonstrate they really did this.

orbitmic

My suggestion was that a Freedom of Information request equivalent might be even easier and cheaper (free in many countries). In all likelihood, BA would have to release all information relating to the enquiries made about the OP including the agent's notes on his/her contact with authorities, who he/she spoke to, what was asked and what was answered as well as any subsequent file notes or messages about the OP's case. It would also give the OP a good sense of how 'solid' (or not) BA's defense would likely be should the OP indeed start legal proceedings.

If it were me, this would be my next step and an urgent one and I would then decide whether to launch proceedings or not based on the information sent to me possibly after consulting a specialised lawyer.

Ldnn1

I think you mean a subject access request under the DPA.

BA is not a public body and is not subject to FOI requirements.

orbitmic

Sorry yes I mean whatever provision Dutch law makes for access to personal data that applies to the OP and BA. I have no knowledge of Dutch law but as it all comes from an EU directive I have no doubt that they have some law in place. If it were in the UK you are right that this would not be through the FoI route.

Ldnn1

If it suits OP, he/she should have no problem submitting the request under the UK regulations, given that the data controller (BA) is UK based. Whether OP could alternatively/more easily pursue under the Dutch equivalent I don't know.

For reference, information on the UK subject access regime is available here: http://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/personal-information/

_nate

How about this, then?

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/eta-facts-en.asp

Do I have to print anything to prove that I have an eTA?

No. The eTA is electronically linked to your passport. You need to travel with the passport you used to apply for your eTA.

wxman22

BINGO

What we don't know in this whole conversation is what question BA asked when they called the Canadians.

_nate

It certainly suggests the onus is on the airline to look up the eTA if they are so inclined, not the passenger. The previous page talked about retaining the number from the work permit for if the holder had enquiries with the Canadian authorities concerning the eTA, not that it ought to be presented to the airline.

The notion that a work permit is not a travel document is a red herring. Any issued after 2015 have eTAs attached automatically and should be sufficient 'proof' of this, and that page only makes the statement because older permits won't have them. But it is clearly stated here that you only need the passport.

flamboyant 1

That's how I saw it too, perhaps that was careless, but I bet lots of other work permit holders think the very same way. And may run into problems when a computer like BA's asks for certain numbers.

BA still maintains that a work permit is not sufficient. However, a work permit with automatically attached ETA is sufficient (and really always worked at immigration).
And these rules have not changed since August 2015.

Plus, neither was I told to look it up nor where I was left waiting was there an option/wifi facility given to look it up.

Dambus

Which mirrors the IATA advice I posted earlier - no need to present an eTA, just a passport.

BA is not the only airline to have trouble with the new eTA system but has messed up here and should own up.

As an aside a colleague mentioned that BA have a partnership with CIBT for visa services - wonder if this includes first line support for queries from check-in agents?

Enigma368

You guys are obsessing over who BA spoke to as if that is relevant. The fact is BA were correct in saying that he needed an eTA.

This is a simple case of BA should have been able to lookup the eTA and failing that (afaik) the OP should have been able to provide it when asked.

If it is the case that the OP has no obligation to provide his eTA when asked and it is completely the responsibility of BA to find eTAs when they exist, then the OP would have recourse against BA, regardless of who they got advice from.

If it is the case that the OP has an obligation to provide the eTA when the airline cannot find it, then the OP has no recourse. That said I still feel BA messed up here in CS and should offer good will compensation even if they are not legally at fault.

The "who BA spoke to" part of this is 100% irrelevant imo. They didn't get incorrect advice from this "person" although they could have gotten more complete advice.

Tobias-UK

I have received a message from a check-in agent, not for BA or LHR based but who often works on Canadian flights at their airport. I am told that their system tells them if a passenger is 'authorised to travel' or 'unable to board'. The authorised to travel/unable to board indicator is pinged from the Canadian authorities and is based on the API data held in the PNR.

If the check-in screen states 'unable to board' they cannot issue a BP to that traveller. There is a data field on their system that advises the check-in agent if an eTA is approved or if an eTA is not present. They are able to input an eTA number if one is available to update the reservation. Until such time that a passenger receives an 'authorised to travel' designation that passenger cannot be accepted for travel.

If this information is correct, and I have no reason to doubt that it is, then in the OP's case BA could do no more than they actually did. If the 'authorised to travel' indicator is not present the passenger cannot be boarded.

Do we have any other check-in agents here that might be able to confirm (or clarify) this is correct?