Bart_ek

Hi!
Let me ask you for advice as this case gave me almost a heart attack.
I'm writing now from a lounge in BOG Airport (finnaly got hear today) waiting for my evening F connection to FRA.
This is what happened to me 1, 5 days ago.
I'm doing the famous LH F CDG-BOG first class fare millage run and my intenarary was:
CDG-FRA-ZRH-GRU (~14 hrs layover)-BOG // BOG-FRA-CDG
When I arrived at GRU I did not want to stay so long at the airport and I decided to go to the town to kill the time, do some sightseeing etc. I'd got all my inbound boarding passes at CDG and travelled with the hand luggage.
Then, after the full day in Sao Paulo I would return to GRU in the evening to catch my Avianca night C flight AV248 to BOG.
I went to the check-in to ask about sth and... the trouble started. The Avianca clerk took my passport and the boarding pass, checked sth in the system and... asked me about Yellow fewer vaccination certificate! Of course I did not have any as nobody had told me it'd have been required! I talked to his supervisor but they tore down my existing boarding pass telling no way I could fly to Bogota from Brasil without the health certificate. He showed me in his computer a screen with the corresponding rule in the health section. He told me that if I'd used my current boarding pass they'd have stopped me at immigration in Bogota when I wanted to enter the country either ordering a quarantine or sending me back at Avianca expense to Sao Paolo so he was doing me a favour. After a lengthy debate he rebooked me to another flight to Bogota 1, 5 days later telling I'd be in transit in Bogota then and l thus allowed to fly from GRU. Well, I had to come to terms with this situation and stay 2 nights in Sao Paulo and not in Bogota as originally planned. (I had to buy 2 hotel nights and lost the already prepaid hotel in Bogota).
Now, question to you for advice. Can I complain to Lufthansa about this situation? What to expect? What to request (any compensation?) Whose fault is it for this situation to have occurred? Should I have been advised about the Yellow fever vaccination requirement? Or been told not to leave the transit zone at GRU? Really, my 1st class experience trip was ruined... What do you think about it?

Kleffen

This is is what the IAMAT.org pages say about yellow fever vaccine in Colombia:

A Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is required upon entry for travellers 1 year of age and older coming from – or who are in airport transit for more than 12 hours within – Angola, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda.

So I guess you were outside of the 12 hours window. Whether it’s the airlines’ responsibility to inform about this, I don’t know.
It seems too much to expect from airlines, that they keep track of all these requirements, given it’s as detailed as above. Probably lots of Brazilians get the same message when they show up in airport to travel to Colombia...

oliver2002

This has happened before: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/swis...nightmare.html

Jaenks

I had the exact same situation in November with mobile boarding pass but at the gate and with LA. They did not asked certificate from other passengers . One clerk asked advice from other, looked my itinerary told me same thing that Colombia requires the certificate. I pointed out that no information is provided in LA website and showed my passport with Brazilian and Colombian entry-departure stamps from October. Then they contacted a supervisor and she replied only: let him fly. No certificate was asked in Bogota from any passengers.

Bart_ek

but I don't get one thing
Provided I stayed in transit area in GRU and made airside connection from terminal 3 I arrived at on LX92 on 4th Jan 6:45 am , to terminal 2 Avianca Av248 on 5th Jan 0:45 am, I'd be in transit in a Brasil airport for 18 hours!
So what then? Would I be denied boarding at the gate when boarding?

the rule says
– So why Lufthansa sold me the ticket? Did not inform me about the Yellow fever requirement?

and why I was anyway rebooked via Bogota to Europe on the following day even if I still did not have the yellow fever cert? It's crazy and fishy.. I start to suspect that my flight was overbooked in C and Avianca uses the health regulation for their convenience...


All in all I arrived to Bogota over 30 hours after the planned arrival. So can I at least claim the 600 eur compensation?

DesertNomad

I would think having the certificate is your responsibility, just like having a visa. I always travel with my yellow fever certificate for this reason.

Bart_ek

OK, I see, but...
Why did the LH check in agent at CDG give me all the boarding passes not having checked before if I haf the yellow fever certificate, knowing I'd be in transit in Brasil for over 12 hours?

SK AAR

It is not the duty of LH to inform passengers about visa, vaccinations or other requirements etc - this is the duty of the pax entering another country to familiarize oneself with these requirements. Period.

This issue with AV requiring yellow fever certificate from GRU/Brazil has been reported in other forums as well. It seems to occur when the flight is overbooked...and never to Colombians...

You should consider yourself lucky that AV agreed to rebook and that entering Colombia wasn't necessary in your case. AV could have abandoned you at GRU like it happens to other passengers.

Bart_ek

So it's totally my fault? Fair enough
But during the Avianca rebooking process they entered in the flight record the rebooking reason of 'flight disruption' (I overheard it when the supervisor instructed the check-in agent) so I wonder if this is 'extraordinary measure'
The fact is I was brought to my destination of BOG (or did they change my destination to GRU??!) with the delay qualifying for compensation under EU 261 regulations, I guess . I'm going to take it up with LH. Let's see how they answer.

SK AAR

You will get nowhere with LH or any carrier about this. LH was not the operating carrier. EU Reg, 261/04 only applies to the operating carrier - the fact that LH sold you the ticket is immaterial. AV is not subject to EU Reg. 261/04 for a flight outside EU.

I'm sorry but you don't have a claim for delay or denied boarding compensation. AV had the right to deny you boarding because you had been in Brazil for more than 12 hours and had no yellow fever certificate.

Data point: this happened to me in July as well. Itinerary: AMS-ZRH-GRU-BOG with an overnight stay at GRU. Upon check-in with AV at GRU I was asked for yellow fever vac. certificate: Luckily I brought it (by pure coincident; I had no idea I was going to be asked for it; for the first time ever) so no issue for me, but other passengers were not so lucky.

Just to confirm your suspicion: It is reported elsewhere that this occurs in particular for overbooked AV flights from Brazil.

OT: For anyone interested you can get a free yellow fever vaccination at BOG airport (landside).

denhaagflyer

Actually, there is another complication in that the vaccine is supposed to be only active after 10 days...

I travel to BOG about once a year and have never been asked where I come from or for a Yellow Fever vaccination proof

thbe

As SK AAR said: No chance for compensation based on EU261 as it doesn’t apply. Even if it applied, EU261 doesn’t cover incidents like that (Art. 2 (j) (...) except where there are reasonable grounds to deny them boarding, such as reasons of health, safety or security, or inadequate travel documentation.)

From my personal point of view destinations like GRU or BOG are not recommended for mileage runs. There are other destinations in the world with much lower crime rates and more reliable authorities. You should have better reasons to take that risks going there than just a good miles for money ratio.

I also think, that there are cases, where you can’t blame anyone. I wouldn’t blame the OP for not knowing about the requirement of a yellow fever very. Can’t blame LH in that case anyway. And even AV was doing right to deny the OP boarding. It’s in everyone’s own risk to travel - crossing borders and legal systems - and sometimes you have to pay for something, you can’t blame anyone for.

SK AAR

This issue only arise at check-in at GRU/Brazil (and maybe certain other countries listed in IAMAT) not when you enter Colombia from elsewhere. Had the OP been on the LH FRA-BOG flight it would never have occurred.

Passengers arriving BOG from Brazil have not been reported to be asked for proof of yellow fever vaccination at immigration or elsewhere and the fact that Colombians visiting Brazil apparently are not required to get a yellow fever vaccination to get back to Colombia, all supports that this is the random practice at certain outstations when convenient to the carrier.

I bet the OP would have faced no issues at BOG had the OP decided to enter Colombia during the extended BOG transfer yesterday/whilst waiting for the LH flight to FRA.

behuman

https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/pas...quirements.htm is your friend, courtesy of IATA and TIMATIC. As an experienced traveller and FTalker I would expect that you do not accuse the carrier. It is always our responsibility to check for health and visa requirements.

This said,, the rule is here and enforced upon checking in (in Brazil), but never have I experienced checks upon arrival in Colombia.

Hope the link helps all who do not yet have it.

btw: yellow fever vaccination is now for lifetime as per WHO

chris63

It ought to be plain common sense to check all requirements before one flies half way around the World.