[Travelandtourism] Travel Troubleshooter: Why Can't I Transit Through London?

[Reese]

Have your paper work in order before flying internationally.

Q: I'm an Indian national residing in the United States. I was scheduled to 
fly from Houston to Mumbai on British Airways (www.ba.com) recently. My 
itinerary involved a short stopover in London.

In Houston, while checking in with British Airways, I was denied boarding 
because my work visa was not stamped in my passport. The original visa 
stamped in my passport had expired and I was traveling to India in order to 
get my renewed visa stamped at the U.S. consulate in Mumbai.

I was carrying an application that permits me to continue living and working 
legally in the U.S. and to travel abroad. However, before re-entering the 
U.S., I'm required to obtain a valid U.S. visa stamp in my passport.

I tried my best to explain this to the check-in agent; however, she was 
adamant in not allowing me to transit through London. This was a Catch-22 
situation for me -- I could not go to India without my visa stamped in my 
passport and I could not get my visa stamped unless I visited the consulate 
in India.

The British Airways check-in staff was very unsympathetic and unhelpful. I 
was quoted a charge of around $500 to allow me to fly on my return ticket 
when I said I was ready to fly out to Mumbai with a different carrier. I've 
tried to get a partial refund from the airline for my unused ticket, but it 
hasn't responded. Can you help me? -- Mita Upadhyay, Corpus Christi, Texas

A: British Airways should have made its travel policies regarding visas 
crystal-clear to you. I checked with the airline, and it insists it did.

In order to transit in the UK without a visa on an Indian passport, you need 
one of seven types of documents, which may include a valid U.S. visa sticker 
in your passport or a valid U.S. permanent resident card.

"Our staff in Houston would seem to have been correct to deny this passenger 
boarding," said an airline spokeswoman. "There are links on ba.com that 
allow passengers to check their passport and visa requirements for their 
journey."

At the same time, British Airways should have been more compassionate about 
your situation, in the interests of good customer service. You couldn't get 
the required stamp without visiting the consulate in Mumbai. Given your 
predicament, it would have been a nice gesture of the airline to reroute you 
on a flight that didn't require a stopover in London.

But it wasn't required to do that. Unfortunately, having all your paperwork 
in order is your responsibility and yours alone. Even if British Airways 
didn't disclose its visa requirements on its site, you would have still been 
responsible. And yes, even if your travel agent had told you otherwise.

Still, British Airways offered a refund of $125 and a $600 flight credit, 
which represents half of your airfare to Mumbai -- an exceptionally generous 
resolution.


Peachtree Travel
Independent Travel Consultant

(phone) 770-280-5029

(website: http://www.peachtreetravel.net.

Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10
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