Hi All, I am in the next few days going to be flying to England with my Fiancé, we are currently in Thailand after leaving the Philippines. I made a call to Thai Airways about seat selection to make sure we had 2 seats together and the guy said I notice that you Fiancé has a one way ticket, I said yes that's right, he said are you sure she does not need a return ticket? I said no because she is coming here to get married, he said yes but you should check because I think she needs a return. This got me a bit worried, can any of you confirm that she just needs the one way? I am just a little bit nervous about this now. Sateev.
That's weird. Airlines shouldn't even have a say on this. I worked for Expedia.com before and we never asked such things as type of visa they have or insisting on a return ticket coz that's none of our business. And we dealt with a lot of airlines too; never have I encountered being asked this question on behalf of a customer.
Airlines can face large fines if they 'land' a passenger with incorrect documentation or (as in the case of the Philippines) no onward ticket, where required. So yes, they are definitely interested in whether or not passengers are in possession of the correct documentation and ticket for their destination.
I get that, which obviously happens when they check in someone with incorrect documentation, which they should be checking at the check in counter and boarding gates. But since people can buy tickets online, when you call ticketing or customer service they don't/shouldn't be asking these things or making recommendations.
airlines have to make sure that the passengers they convey satisfy immigration requirements otherwise they can get stiffed by large costs if somebody is refused entry to the Philippines or the UK or wherever by not having an ONWARD ticket (note:it's not a return, it's an onward ticket that is needed). many times I have been asked to show onward tickets at check in counters and if I hadn't been able to show one then they wouldnt have let me get on the plane. in fact, once, when I bought air tickets to Thailand using cash at an Air Asia shop in Malaysia, they wouldn't even sell me a one way ticket at all. They said we won't let you pass the check-in counter if all you have is a one-way ticket. You need to show another ticket out of there. It need not be the place from whence you came. It can be to anywhere also outside the country you are headed to. when you buy international air tickets online, this pop-up usually appears where you have to say that you are aware of the immigration requirements, visas and so on. if there is any country anywhere in the world that does not have an onward ticket requirement for tourists, then I never heard of it. For sure somebody on a Fiance Visa may well not need an onward ticket. I'd double check this one. You can be at the whim of an airline official who could refuse boarding and may not be as familiar with the actual rules as they could be.
Sorry I may be confused, but she's on a fiance visa and so only needing a one way ticket to go to the UK. That's my understanding.
yes it seems so, but you are on the whim of an airline official. What if they have got it into their head that even with a Fiance Visa, that the passenger still needs an oinward ticket like most of the other people with non-UK passports do? I'd be looking to get some proof from somewhere just in case somebody at check-in queries it.
Yaiks! That's tough. I mean, what other option do they have then? Another ticket isn't cheap. Was planning on getting myself a one way ticket too when the time comes that I already have my visa. Didn't realize this is another one of them things that I need to worry about. Sucks.
I can confirm that a one way ticket is all that is required if travelling to the UK on a marriage settlement visa (formerly called a "fiancee" visa) . K travelled here on one and so did my stepson.
You can never be 100% sure that a check in official will be aware of the requirement, or non-requirement. Though if they do query it at the bottom level check-in desk and refer it to a manager the chances are that the manager will clear it very quickly, I would still be more comfortable if I had some printed info on me that said that an onward ticket was not needed.
maybe I'm just being a bit paranoid, but I am always careful about the possibility of a check-in official being overzealous and messing it up for me. it can happen with something like a damaged passport too. They say, hey your passport's damaged, you can't get on the plane. You say hey it's not THAT damaged, how can you do this? You are stuck there on their whim. You have no recourse or appeal to anybody.
