Easy methods to decrease your possibilities of getting denied boarding on a flight to China
Ramon Ymalay, his spouse and his daughter had bold plans over the vacations final December. They redeemed 487,750 frequent flyer miles for flights on a number of airways, together with Air France, for a round-the-world journey. They aimed to go to all 12 Disney parks throughout the globe in simply two weeks.
For the primary two legs of the worldwide a part of their journey, they cashed in 261,500 Flying Blue miles for business-class seats on Air France. They’d fly from Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). After visiting Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios in Paris, they might fly to Shanghai Pudong Worldwide Airport (PVG) in China to go to Shanghai Disneyland.
That is what would have occurred … if Air France hadn’t denied boarding to the household in Miami.
Air France shortly put the brakes on the household’s Disney mission
The Ymalays solely obtained so far as the airport check-in counter earlier than their total mission confronted failure. There, Air France brokers insisted that to enter China, they wanted visas.
Ymalay says he pleaded with airline brokers and supervisors to permit his household on the flight. He identified that U.S. residents can go to China for as much as 240 hours with no visa. However the Air France brokers remained unconvinced.
After two hours of unproductive dialogue and begging for reconsideration, time ran out. The flight closed and left for France, leaving the disenchanted household behind.
The excellent news is that after last-minute scrambling, the Ymalays confirmed different flight preparations. That was no simple activity, given it was simply days earlier than Christmas.
However ultimately, the household accomplished their mission with out the Chinese language visas the airline claimed they wanted.
Once they returned from the journey, Ymalay introduced his grievance to TPG.
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Assured in his journey planning abilities, he hoped we might assist persuade Air France that it had made a mistake by denying his household boarding. He additionally needed compensation for the sudden bills the airline’s error had prompted him to incur.
Nevertheless, Air France didn’t waver in its stance that the household’s itinerary did not qualify for China’s 240-hour visa-free customer program.
So, who was proper? That is what TPG aimed to seek out out.
Fastidiously planning a round-the-world journey utilizing factors
Final summer season, Ymalay, who runs The Small World Household weblog along with his spouse, informed his followers concerning the household’s plans for his or her daughter’s Christmas break. He was spending an immense period of time learning potential routes, factors applications and redemption choices, after which running a blog about it.
After a lot effort, Ymalay was glad with the itinerary, and the whole lot was lastly booked. He was exhausted however exhilarated.
“The whole for all our airfare, which included lie-flat business-class seats when accessible, was 487,750 miles and $7,000,” Ymalay informed me. “That included 9 business-class flights and two regional jets with no enterprise class for 3 passengers.”
The journey started on the 4 Disney parks in Orlando. In what can solely be described as a whirlwind journey, the household Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’d via all of the parks in simply someday.
Subsequent, the Ymalays made their solution to Miami, the place the worldwide portion of the journey would start.
And that is the place Air France threw a wrench in all of Ymalay’s rigorously laid plans.
Air France: The place is your visa for China?
Once they walked as much as the Air France check-in counter at MIA, the Ymalays had no inkling of what was about to occur.
Ymalay had totally researched the 240-hour visa-free entry guidelines for U.S. guests to China.
He had cross-referenced data on the Chinese language Embassy’s web site, the U.S. Division of State’s web site and the details about the visa-free customer coverage accessible on TPG. He was certain his household’s quick 40-hour jaunt via China to go to Shanghai Disneyland did not require a visa.
So when he handed over his household’s passports and the Air France agent requested the place their Chinese language visas have been, it stunned him.
“I informed the Air France agent that we have been simply passing via China on our solution to Hong Kong,” Ymalay defined. “[The Air France agent] appeared to not know concerning the 240-hour visa-free vacationer program.”
Ymalay did not panic. In spite of everything, he thought, absolutely an Air France supervisor could be acquainted with the necessities for entry to China. So he requested to talk to the agent’s supervisor.
To his shock, the senior Air France consultant who got here to assist additionally appeared unfamiliar with the visa-free guidelines.
“I confirmed the Air France workforce our flight reservations, proving we supposed to depart China after just some days. Our solely vacation spot in China was Shanghai Disneyland. Then, we have been flying on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. However they stored insisting we wanted visas to enter China.”
Making last-minute alterations to this world journey
After the Air France flight left for Paris, and with little time left to get their journey again on observe, Ymalay sat down along with his laptop and shortly started working. He wanted to make new flight preparations and rearrange their resort reservations for varied cities around the globe.
“We ended up utilizing 270k miles to get us from MIA to [London’s Heathrow Airport] LHR on Virgin Higher Class on December 23 after which paid money to get to CDG on Vueling. I then used 309k Flying Blue miles to get us to [Hong Kong International Airport] HKG on December 28 by way of Air France enterprise. I used to be capable of reverse our Cathay Pacific flight to fly to Shanghai (as a substitute of out). We might lastly arrive in China on December thirtieth, 6 days after initially deliberate. And we didn’t want a Chinese language visa.”
The last-minute bookings prompted the household to spend greater than double the miles they’d initially deliberate to make use of. They have been additionally compelled to pay cancellation and rebooking penalties, however they have been relieved that their journey was now again on observe.
The household made their solution to an area airport resort to spend the evening, and within the morning, they have been on their solution to London.
For the subsequent 10 days, the household had a journey that may absolutely make anybody drained. Nevertheless, they achieved their purpose and touched down in each Disney park worldwide, ending on the Disneyland parks in Anaheim, California, in only one adventurous journey.
With that mission full, Ymalay turned to his subsequent mission: to get Air France to confess its mistake. The airline had prompted a big hiccup of their plans, costing them some huge cash.
Air France denied boarding to the household — this is why
China’s 240-hour visa-free customer coverage permits residents of particular nations, together with the US, to enter China with no visa for as much as 10 days, supplied they meet the situations detailed on the Chinese language Embassy’s web site.
1. The traveler should enter via certainly one of China’s 60 accepted entry factors.
2. Guests should agree to remain inside accepted areas. This coverage would not enable vacationers to roam free in China.
3. The applicant should maintain “an interline passenger ticket or different doc with a selected date and seat project” exhibiting proof of intention to depart China inside 240 hours.
The quote above is from the Chinese language Embassy web site, and that little blurb is what prompted Air France to disclaim the Ymalays boarding.
Ymalay bought his household’s tickets to China as a one-way journey on Air France. Individually, he had redeemed 84,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for a flight on Cathay Pacific from Shanghai to Hong Kong Worldwide Airport. That was his proof that the household certified for visa-free entry.
Nevertheless, as a result of Cathay Pacific and Air France flights aren’t interlined (partnered in any approach), the Miami brokers couldn’t routinely affirm the household’s ongoing flights via their programs.
So far as Air France was involved, the household had a one-way journey to China, which China doesn’t enable.
Airways face important fines, typically as a lot as $10,000 per traveler, for bringing passengers into nations with out the required documentation for entry. Because of this, carriers are usually cautious each time there’s any doubt relating to a passenger’s eligibility to fly.
Asking The Factors Man for assist
After I obtained Ymalay’s request for help, he had already bombarded Air France with proof of its mistake for months. To say he was decided is an understatement. Within the correspondence he shared with me, Air France rejected his declare a minimum of 4 occasions.
Then Air France closed his case in its personal favor.
On this case, Air France can’t be faulted for rejecting the Ymalays primarily based on the household’s itinerary by itself.
Nevertheless, Ymalay informed me he had pleaded with the Air France brokers to name Cathay Pacific to verify their ongoing flight.
He additionally confirmed a digital copy of their flight reservation, which confirmed they have been leaving for Hong Kong after just some days. Underneath China’s 240-hour visa-free coverage, Hong Kong is taken into account a third-party area.
Had the Air France agent or supervisor achieved a bit extra checking, they might have moderately allowed the household to board.
I obtained in contact with our govt contact at Air France to seek out out what their workforce considered this household’s expertise.
On the similar time, Ymalay continued his decided pursuit of proving Air France had prevented his household from boarding that flight by mistake. He shared with me a number of rejections from Air France.
However then instantly, Air France had a change of coronary heart.
All of the sudden, excellent news from Air France: We made a mistake
After 5 rejections from varied Air France buyer care brokers and an announcement that Ymalay’s case was completely closed, a brand new set of eyes appeared on the scene from the airline. That Air France “Buyer Care” supervisor agreed that the airline made a mistake.
Ymalay lastly obtained the vindication by way of electronic mail that he was searching for, and compensation as effectively:
It’s disappointing that the assist obtained fell in need of our standard excessive requirements. Please be assured that we’re not complacent, and your expertise and feedback have been fed again to the related administration groups.
I’m happy to tell you that you’re entitled to compensation beneath the EC Regulation 261/2004.
Chances are you’ll select from a money fee of EUR600 every or vouchers for bookings with Air France, KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic within the worth of EUR800 every.”
Ymalay says he could not be happier: “I had spent a substantial amount of time researching and planning this journey. This was actually about honor and proving I did my due diligence earlier than we took off on this journey. I admire your assist. I hope different vacationers can study from our expertise.”
In the end, the household selected the 800-euro vouchers (at the moment price about $894 every). Not surprisingly, this touring household is at the moment planning their subsequent journey and can quickly put these vouchers to good use.
Easy methods to decrease your possibilities of getting denied boarding a flight to China
Getting denied boarding a flight is traumatic to vacationers, whether or not it’s a results of their very own mistake or the airline’s. Ymalay was lucky that he was capable of whip up a substitute plan beneath stress on quick discover. Most passengers confronted with related circumstances aren’t as fortunate.
Visiting China has by no means been simpler, however there are some issues vacationers ought to think about earlier than reserving their journey there.
E-book your flight as a round-trip or interlined ticket
The best approach to verify your journey to China goes easily is by reserving a round-trip flight (with one report locator) into and out of one of many accepted entry factors. Make certain that your flight out of China complies with the 240-hour rule.
If it isn’t potential to guide your journey with the identical airline, your next-best possibility is to buy tickets on an interlined service. That may enable every airline to have the ability to entry your full itinerary.
Keep in mind, you want proof that you simply intend to depart China inside 240 hours, so in case your outgoing flight is on an unaffiliated airline, make sure you’ve got printed your reservation, which exhibits your 13-digit ticket quantity.
Present up early on the airport
That is very true in case your itinerary is difficult (as an illustration, one which spans a number of airways and nations). You may need to give your self a large buffer to deal with any confusion about your journey to China.
Keep calm and ask to talk to a supervisor
Usually, however in fact not all, the supervisor on obligation will possible have the ability to stop a denied boarding mistake by the airline. If you happen to’re being denied boarding your flight, keep calm and ask to talk to the agent’s supervisor.
Backside line
Airways do not routinely deny boarding to passengers. In actual fact, it’s fairly uncommon. However when you have been denied boarding and you think it was the results of an airline’s mistake, ship your particulars to ombudsman@thepointsguy.com. I will be pleased to research and make it easier to, too, if I can. Comfortable travels!
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