jc94

As many will be aware those who have a Canadian PR (Permanent Resident) card are able to and in fact have to travel without an eTA when using a passport from a country that now requires one. You can't get a eTA.

I've noticed that not all airlines support this, so wanted to post my findings here, and if there is enough interest / information maybe even create a wiki.
To say upfront, clearly the easiest fix for this would be for the relevant authorities to start returning a "Approved from travel" when finding a passport linked to a PR card - but that's beyond the scope of this forum so I'm just concentrating on airlines involvement.

This list is in order. And yes, for Air Canada is actually top.

1) Air Canada. 9.5/10. Both mobile app and website request and accept PR card details when (presumably) no eTA is detected. Allows one to check in for their flight without issues. They lose 0.5 marks due to (unconfirmed) reports or asking people with an eTA for their PR card details.

2) United. 4/10. Mobile app returns "Travelers who are seeking to enter Canada must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) prior to check in ....". Website has a check in option for PR card holders but this was non-functional returning a similar message. United claims one should phone them when this happens.

3) American Airlines. 1/10. I haven't yet traveled internationally returning to Canada with AA yet but contacted them ahead of time and received a phone call confirming I'd have to check in at the airport because they don't support Canadian PR or any other related status and had no plans to resolve this. They get 1/10 as they seem aware of it.

4) Swiss. 0/0. Attempts to check in on mobile generated error "Unfortunately, we have not received travel approval from the Canadian authorities for <name> ...". Website gave same or similar error message. Phoning Swiss resulting in being told to phone the airport. Phoning the airport resulting in being told to phone Swiss. At the airport I was asked for my visa several times. Contacting Swiss after the fact generated an email that said I could not "check-in online due to system complications" and that "Due to the strict travel requirements for Canada the SWISS online check-in app may not function as normal.". No indication was given as to if they planned to ever fix it.

Has anyone else had these same or different experiences with these or other airlines and contacted them about it?

airoli

I think you need to reframe the scope of your post a bit.

All airlines I am aware of support letting Canadian PRs without an eTA board flights to Canada. I have yet to hear a report of somebody being denied boarding.

However, many airlines (including the ones you mention above) may not have bothered to properly configure their self-serve check-in tools (web / mobile / kiosk) to handle these situations. And if, like LX, I have one flight a day to Canada, I will probably not make this a priority for my dev team either.

jc94

Yes, it's online checkin that one can't do with most of these airlines. Obviously especially if one is flying without a selected seat and in Y, checking in at the airport vastly increases the chance of being bumped or dumped in a bad seat (more so with some airlines than others).
LX has at least two flights a day which they'd require an eTA for. LX8 may fly to ORD but they share with UA to codeshare into YYZ. When I was checked in for LX8, they needed to validate my PR card for the final destination.

airoli

LX operates one flight (not daily in winter) to YUL. WK has seasonal flights to YYC and YVR.

As part of Star Alliance, LX can check you in on a gazillion of possible itineraries that will eventually deliver you to Canada. Just like they can check you in to Mexico, South Korea or many other countries it doesn't serve itself.

Regrettable as it is, LX and other airlines in similar situations will simply not prioritize the more complicated immigration requirements for their secondary destination countries in self-serve development.

All good to start a wiki - just need to specify that it's not a matter of which airlines PRs can fly on, but which airlines are capable of properly handling PRs without TAs at off-counter check-in.

jc94

emma69

This isn't a Canada only issue - it applies to most countries where something other than a passport is required - physical visas, other countries with residence cards / work permits, etc. I don't recall not being able to check in online (to select seat, etc.) with a PR card, but on several occasions it has said a boarding pass cannot be issued until the documents are shown to someone at the airport. It would be close to impossible for airlines to be able to configure online check in to account for every single possibility, and require them to be linked into way more government systems than they are, whereas an experienced check in agent can glance at a PR card, physical visa or work permit and know if the person is fine to travel.

jc94

Skatering

I can tell you from my own experience that every time I've flown AA into Canada, they've issued a boarding pass via the app on the basis of my UK passport (with no valid ETA) and never ask about my PR card. When I arrive into YYZ, the kiosk has no record of my arrival.

Every other airline denies online check-in and I have to see an agent at bag drop.

jc94

Skatering

I put my PR card into the reader and it displays a message akin to 'We were not expecting your arrival. Please enter your flight number' or words to that effect.

YMMV. I would not rely on AA as a means to re-enter Canada as a PR without a PR card.

I've not tried AC yet, but will soon.

jc94

jc94

jc94

And as a final update, BA had the best support ever.

I put my PR card number into APIS, and just checked in. It took under a minute. Detected all my details and completed check in with no questions asked. Better than AC which demands it AT check in.

I doubt I'll use a PR card again, but for me at least BA wins hand down for any future travelers who reference this thread.

*Edit*
That said, BA's automated machines for bag drop still required a manual PR check by an agent and an override of the system. As did LHR security.