EU to impose entry requirements on travellers From US (updated 30 Aug)
#436
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,800
This can be plainly wrong sometimes. Transit countries may impose additional or stricter requirements than the destination ones. When traveling, one always need to check rules of :
- the airlines flown (a few impose a test whatever the destination. EK has been in this category, don’t know if still the case)
- the departing country (some countries may impose compelling reason to leave)
- the transit country
- and of course the destination country
I can give you a concrete example that I experienced a year ago during the NY period. I travelled from France to Tanzania on KL via AMS. Neither Tanzania nor France were requiring a test at that time. But a few days before my return trip, the Netherlands required a PCR test <72hrs even for transit pax. And a few weeks after they even requested an additional antigen test <4hrs on top of the PCR. Total madness but true.
- the airlines flown (a few impose a test whatever the destination. EK has been in this category, don’t know if still the case)
- the departing country (some countries may impose compelling reason to leave)
- the transit country
- and of course the destination country
I can give you a concrete example that I experienced a year ago during the NY period. I travelled from France to Tanzania on KL via AMS. Neither Tanzania nor France were requiring a test at that time. But a few days before my return trip, the Netherlands required a PCR test <72hrs even for transit pax. And a few weeks after they even requested an additional antigen test <4hrs on top of the PCR. Total madness but true.
#437
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
Not familiar with Finland so I can't comment on that specifically
#438
Join Date: Apr 2015
Programs: Some
Posts: 5,164
Greece is now doing one better - not just mandatory testing for all arrivals, but it has to be a PCR too. I've promptly cancelled my planned NYE trip to Athens and will be travelling domestically in Italy instead. This is pure fuel to the fire for the anti-vaxx population, good luck with those booster shot campaigns.
#439
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CDG
Programs: SK Gold, AF Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,684
Perhaps I was imprecise with my post - I meant that where you transit afterwards is of no practical consequence regarding the entry rules of the destination country for the point of origin, because the onus is on airline staff at the point of departure to check your compliance and they will do it based on the final destination. I never meant to imply that transit countries aren't able to impose additional requirements (like Portugal is doing now, for example), or that transiting anywhere is fine (as evidenced by the recently removed US ban on Schengen transit).
I can assure you that in Serbian and Italian media (that I follow), every article about how countries are imposing the same travel restrictions on both vaccinated and unvaccinated pax is flooded with dozens of comments by anti-vaxxers saying that vaccination makes even less sense now. It's a silly argument, but it's happening anyhow. There was a social contract of sorts saying that being responsible and getting vaccinated will enable you to live normally again, and that contract has now been broken. I will not further expand on this for fear of going into OMNI territory.
I can assure you that in Serbian and Italian media (that I follow), every article about how countries are imposing the same travel restrictions on both vaccinated and unvaccinated pax is flooded with dozens of comments by anti-vaxxers saying that vaccination makes even less sense now. It's a silly argument, but it's happening anyhow. There was a social contract of sorts saying that being responsible and getting vaccinated will enable you to live normally again, and that contract has now been broken. I will not further expand on this for fear of going into OMNI territory.
Last edited by gojko88; Dec 19, 2021 at 2:18 am
#440
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: SFO
Programs: AS Gold (OW), SK Silver (*A), UR, MR
Posts: 3,290
its really a ridiculous practice when countries at airport security entry and passport control dont check your vaccination/test status at departure and upon arrival and instead leave it up to private airline companies exclusively.
#441
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CDG
Programs: SK Gold, AF Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,684
True, but in a sense I'm grateful this is the case because whenever I was subject to additional controls on arrival these two years, it just caused a meltdown and people were standing on top of each other basically, making for a far riskier experience in terms of contagion than any actual measures.
#442
Join Date: May 2009
Location: AMS
Posts: 2,043
So far as I'm concerned all countries should work this way.
#443
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: 4me
Posts: 11,957
Out of 3 trips Ive been asked twice for my vaccination documentation by immigration at CDG.
#444
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CDG
Programs: SK Gold, AF Gold, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 3,684
France is a special case. Virtually everywhere else the airline is the only party doing a thorough check of the documentation, especially for intra-EU travel.