Exit on connection
 

Hi guys! I've a LIM-PTY-CUN o/w award flight. The connection is 5 hours long. I'm supposed to be on transit. Do you know if it's possible to travel with carry-on bags only, exit from PTY to Panama City and miss the PTY-CUN flight? Any possible sanction to my almost empty FFP account? Any limitation to do customs and passport control to enter Panama? Thanks in advance.

As long as it's not a return trip they won't hunt you down like the one-armed man because you left in Panama. If you do this all the time they will take issue.

If it is a round trip the CUN-PTY-LIM flight will be cancelled.

What limitations could there be to get off a plane landing in Panama and entering Panama? That's what 25% of every person there must be doing.

This sort of thing is why two one way award redemptions (assuming there's no additional cost) makes more sense. Like on AA.

Thanks for your answer. My doubt was because a migrations officer can ask about the flight being missed. But I assume they can't point you with a gun and force you to take the second flight. Well, maybe in USA or in another country while being deported but that won't be the case.

Why would the immigration officer know about the flight missed? In any country.

You arrived. You don't give them the boarding pass. They are not consulting a list of every passenger on every connecting flight in a hub airport. You go through immigration and customs and leave.

I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill. The In USA comment does not even make any sense as well.

Just remember to kiss the return goodbye if it's a round trip.

Yeah, just trying to cover all possibilities. Since it's the same to book two o/w than a r/t in ConnectMiles, it's easy to avoid that. Thanks for your answer again!

People enter the country between connections all of the time. There are a zillion threads about taking an excursion to the city or the locks during a long connection. Immigration certainly could not distinguish between these folks and those who do not intend to take their connection.

I could easily justify using a city tour if connection was longer. But with only 5 hours, can I?

You are way overthinking this. Immigration does not care whether you have a connection or not. As far as you're concerned about them possibly checking the time, there are a ton of reasons for people to leave for a short time. Maybe they want to have a cup of coffee at the airport with their uncle that lives in Panama. Maybe they want to stop at the nearby mall. Have no fear, you will be able to walk out without any problems.

Thanks again. Will get out of PTY without sweating then...

Depends on time of day. It will take ~25 minutes to the centr of the city (and vice versa) with no traffic. With traffic, starting at about 4.30pm, it can take well over an hour each way. Taxi is a flat fee of $35 each way. On way back to airport, get one of the SUVs/Vans that are outside a hotel. Uber is about the same. Not much to see right outside of airport, would have to head into city centre

+1
Immigration doesn't access CM's reservation system . . . they have no clue what the details of your itinerary are.

The one caveat here is they can ask for proof of an onward ticket (i.e., a ticket exiting Panama). Not especially common, and it doesn't have to be the same one you flew in on.

Outstanding... then I can take another flight instead of the original one. Thanks to all!