Dealing with denied boarding

I wasn’t denied boarding, but during the Covid test requirements changing period, I had a dated screenshot of the requirements ready on my phone just in case a gate agent didn’t know the current requirement.

What an outstanding article, I love the final paragraph; "Which brings me to how I’m feeling about customer service in the travel industry as we enter 2023. After careful review of this newspaper’s policy on the use of curse words, I, too, decline to comment."

99% of people will have no issues.

And yes, it's very common to ask about a return flight when going into the Schengen zone. For studying abroad students usually get a visa for that country if over 90 days.

You must be very unlucky as I've never been denied for boarding.

..... was told that a return ticket was required for Schengen entry....... If that is true, then I think it is a selective policy applied only to young people. Half the time or more we do not have a return ticket when we enter Europe. Never been asked for a return ticket or even when we plan to return -- old age has its benefits I guess. Generally the question is why here ?? On holiday !! Thank you, Welcome to ........... ! Sometimes we are asked how long we plan to stay and our stock answer is always, "Four weeks." Unless we know for sure when we are leaving.

When our son spent a semester in Spain, he did have an open, return ticket on United but it had no return date but was never asked to show it. It was just a prepaid return ticket.

While the story is a quite doozie, I would caution the more-easily-freaked-out among us not to dwell on the worries too much. Involuntary denied boarding (IDB), as opposed to giving up your seat for compensation (getting "bumped") is a pretty rare event. COVID requirements did add an extra set of hoops to prepare for jumping through, but the overly- (and inappropriately-) aggressive interpretation of immigration requirements by a gate agent is really a highly unlikely (black swan) event. More likely you're going to win that big lotto prize.

If you arrive at the airport at the very last minute, and you encounter someone who has had a really bad day (and is looking for someone else to have a really bad day) then you might be sweating bullets as you try to get them sorted out. Arriving with plenty of time for negotiations and escalations, if needed, is always a good idea. Especially so if your destination is McMurdo Station (and apparently also Mataveri International Airport). If you're flying to Milan or Amsterdam, probably not so much.

This is not something I will lose any sleep over.

Sorry, I didn't realize it was a repost.

students usually get a visa for that country if over 90 days.

I have found the whole study abroad thing a world of confusion. Germany doesn't require a student visa in advance, Norway requires one but it is digital and not placed in the passport (so invisible to the ticket counter agent in this case), Italy puts a physical visa in the passport.

So much for unified Schengen country policies, which I guess are just assumed to be the same anyway.

Like Jean, we took screen shots of the requirements during Covid just in case.

When our son did his semester abroad, apparently when he arrived in Denmark they did not stamp his passport. He was tired and didn't notice and went on his merry way. He traveled all over Europe during that time, and at the end our daughter went over and met him and they traveled some more. Their last stop was Iceland for several days, and when they were leaving there, they wouldn't allow him on the plane because his passport was not stamped fro when he arrived in Denmark. He showed his university paperwork. even his textbooks etc and finally after quite some time they let him go. Granted, the way he looked I probably would have stopped him too, lol. Their flight was on Jan 1, so they were celebrating NYE in Reykjavik and had plenty to drink, so they were both very hungover. To add to that, our son had not had a haircut since he left Seattle 6 months before, so he had quite the mop. When we picked them up at the airport, they were both looked like they had been through the wringer.

mikliz97:

Wouldn't he have gotten a residence card in Denmark to authorize his time there and been able to show that? Some other Schengen countries work that way. That would have have filled in the gaps. Also, I had assumed everyone was digitally logged into Schengen when their passport hovers over the immigration counter whether stamped or not?

I don't remember what he had, but he had all the proper documentation. This was in 2015, so I don't remember all the details.

One other good takeaway from the article;

"I would be remiss not to point out your one mistake: You booked a multi-leg, international flight that was to arrive less than 24 hours before your very expensive trip was to begin, a risky plan. But just because someone walks perilously close to the edge of a cliff does not absolve the person (or airline) that pushes them over."

That's always good advice. We rarely book anything, for the day of arrival. Not even a 3 hour tour.

I would be interested to know the day-of details. When this happened to me I asked for a manager, and there's also trying another agent if the counter is long and could be done unseen, or even checking in at the curb (although I doubt AA has this at BNA). I am not one to take no for an answer.

I realized I was not very clear. Our son basically emptied his bags to show all his stuff and to prove when he arrived, where he had been, all his university paperwork, etc and finally the agent I think just got tired of him and could tell he was honest, as the guy just said "go". Thankfully the kids were at the airport early enough so that they did not miss their flight home, but the delay was about 2 hours.

That is the pattern we following. For a cruise we will arrive two or three days early, sometimes a week. Rather do the jet lag adjustment on our time rather than the ship's time.

We always fly to Europe on a one-way ticket and have never been asked to show a return ticket, either by the airline or by the agent at passport control where we enter the Schengen zone. All they ask is how long we are staying.

We did, however, have to show a return ticket to the Emirates checkin desk when we flew from Sydney to New Zealand on a one-way ticket. I had booked our return to Australia on a different airline, but knew we needed to show proof of departure from NZ and brought copies of our tickets to show the agent.

This is so interesting to me. I always get asked why I don't have a return ticket when I am leaving Tulsa to come back to France (the answer, of course, is that I am on my return ticket, which originated in France).

I always, of course, need to then show my French residency card and then the desk agent understands why I don't have a return ticket to the United States.

And I have no doubt that when I first moved here on a one-way ticket to join my husband, if I hadn't had the letter that the French consulate had given me, United would not have let me board (I fell into a weird hole in the law: spouses of French citizens need a visa to enter France before they get their titre de séjour; however, spouses of other Europeans do not. I knew when the guy told me this at the Consulate that the person at the check-in desk was never going to know that or believe me if I just told them that verbally, so I begged him for a letter on official letterhead stating that, and it worked.)

I always get asked why I don't have a return ticket when I am leaving Tulsa to come back to France

As perhaps mentioned, it is not a Schengen requirement, but ticket agents have wide latitude to speculate about who might be refused entry at arrival and can literally make up requirements like having a return ticket or not having adequate funds and refuse boarding.

I've been traveling to Europe (not every year) since 1972 and have never been asked for a return ticket at the outbound airport or at Immigration upon landing; I sometimes don't have a return ticket, because I plan to use frequent-flyer miles and may not yet have figured out my last stop.

I did have an interesting experience when departing Barcelona in 2016 (after a long trip, but one of less than 90 days). The guy floating around the interminable United check-in line approached me and asked about my trip. I think he asked how long I had been in Spain/Europe; he may have asked about the inbound boarding pass, which I didn't have. He ended up looking at the photos on my cell phone. I have no idea what triggered that attention--perhaps it was random, or maybe it was because I was on a one-way return frequent-flyer ticket. I was 64 at the time, female and not under the influence of anything. I had a normal 25" checked bag. The experience taught me to hold on to the inbound boarding pass--though I don't know whether it would have made a difference in Barcelona; maybe the guy just likes to see other people's travel photos.

I'm occasionally asked where I've been or where I'm going when I go through Immigration at an airport. I imagine the scan of my passport shows a recent history of 3 to 4-1/2 month trips, and in some cases the border crossing is coming after Schengen Day 70 or so, maybe past Day 90 of the entire trip. I really should carry a country-level list of destinations with me, because it's not always so easy to recite the full itinerary on the spur of the moment.

Acravan, that is random security screening. We have had that happen to us a couple of times. Most recently leaving Prague. Just a chatty little encounter but having a feeling they know what they are doing. I was told by someone in the security business they expect you to stumble with your answers because they are trying to catch you a little off guard. If you have a quick pat answer to all of their questions then the suspicion is that you have a well rehearsed cover story. "Supposedly" this technique was developed by the Israeli for their screening. In the Prague situation it just two young ladies in uniform walking down the check-in line engaging everyone is a two minute conversation.

Frank, I too have had that - a LOT. As recently as leaving Paris in December. But it is never just me, it is all people in line to check in. Some are better at disguising what they are doing than others. Lol. And as the purpose on the surface is just pleasant checking of passport as you wait, sometimes it’s a fun conversation.

Denied boarding? I need to mentally prepare for that thought. The only time I came close was leaving Paris for
Prague in Dec 2021 - and I had 4 clueless (but prepared) travelers with me. We were checking in side by side with two agents. Mine asked for my PCR test (not required). I replied that pleasantly and she and the agent next to her had a several minute conversation while we all waited quietly and smiled. :) The only word I understood was Rwanda. Ha! Finally the one next to my agent convinced her no PCR was needed and we were on the way. But THAT I was ready for….

Denied boarding: never, domestically or going trans-Atlantic.

Never came close to such an experience.

Never went through any lengthy questioning at check-in, Security, or just before boarding, only the usual perfunctory questions at check-in.

Customs in different countries simply act differently. I saw a show on tv documenting British agents, and they were big on people from certain countries having both MONEY and RETURN TICKETS.

They don't want outsiders moving into their country without financial resources and taking up jobs that British citizens have. Many countries don't want aliens taking up their healthcare too.

There are also people trying to get into countries without any sponsors or even knowing anyone in the country.

As far as Puerto Rico goes, they're Americans and no documentation or passports are required going there. Same for the U.S. Virgin Islands or Samoa. What's nice about Puerto Rico is you can do U.S. banking there and you can get Walgreens prescriptions there just like you were home. And there are a whole lot more Puerto Ricans living in Florida and New York State than there are in Puerto Rico.

I know most people on this forum are Americans so I am not sure you realise how difficult US customs officers can be. We have been required to produce our return air tickets, questioned closely about our itinerary and accommodation ("staying with a friend in Palo Alto" wasn't going well until we added "she is doing a fellowship at Stanford"), and asked to provide details about our work history - just for 2-3 week holidays in New York and California.

I can’t count the number of flights I’ve take in my life.
I have never once asked to show a return ticket, or prove how much money I have for my trip, in any country I have visited.

I was tickled by a phrase in the article the OP provided:
“Becoming obnoxious aloft”……a polite way of saying extreme air rage and meltdown while in-flight!

On the first trip in 1971, that did happen to me, I was asked to show my return air ticket but not at check-in but by the Dutch border controllers before my train , originally a night train from Vienna to Amsterdam , crossed from Germany into Holland. Obviously, there were passport checks back then lasting until 2007, which was the normal experience I had been through each time I did a border crossing.

No passport check official had ever asked me to show them , (these 2 Dutch guys), my return ticket to OAK along with the passport. I don't know if that was even legal but since both the passport and ticket were on my person instead stashed away in the luggage, I just complied.

There’s something about Finnair/Finland. Checking in for a flight from the US to Thailand through HEL in 2019 and the airport desks all had plexiglass sign holders with entry/flight requirements. It’s far more assertive than I’ve ever seen from any other carrier.

The Puerto Rico story is a shame. And the shame belongs to those who’ve spent 40+ years defunding education in our country.

The only time I was asked about a "return" ticket was at Stockholm airport. I flew in from Athens-- another Schengen country--and got tge biggest grilling ever. This was last year (2022). Everyone on my flight was stopped.

I told her I was in Stockholm for four days then heading to Helsinki for four days before flying to the UK. She demanded to see my ticket out of Schengen.

It took me awhile to find it as I wasn't expecting to have to show it or even go through passport control. I first showed her the email confirmation from the airline but that wasn't good enough. Luckily I had the ticket on the airline's app.

Moral of the story....don't assume that you won't have to go through passport control even traveling between Schengen countries.

We had to show our return ticket upon landing in Manchester in 2013. And the guy grilled us for some time about how long we were REALLY staying, where we were going, WHY we wanted to go to those places, how could we possibly afford it. It was unpleasant. Our traveling friends got a different guy and whizzed right through.

I am not sure you realise how difficult US customs officers can be

Travelling into the US from Canada twice monthly, for a great number of years, I absolutely know about nasty experiences with US border guards. What was most disconcerting was their screens would have shown me as a frequent flying businessman. You would not dare take a chance at barking back for fear of being black-marked now, of course, those hassles can be eliminated with a NEXUS card.

I have come across a couple of nasty power- hungry US Customs officers/Border guards, but only at the land borders while driving or biking across.
Never at airports.

The bike one was the worst.
We rolled up on our bikes one Sunday morning about 25 years ago and waited in the road lane.
Not one car or other bike in sight.
The guard shouted out of his booth for us to get off and to go into the office.
We did, and the guard in the office shouted at us to go back outside, as being on bikes we were "vehicles".
We did, and the first guy shouted at us again.
Yes, they both shouted, not spoke normally.
By this time I was steaming, and my friend was having a hard time getting me to keep calm.
The first guy then decided to grill us, and finally let us through for our bike ride.
He was just a wee man in a big jacket who thought he was more important than he was.

The other incident was crossing by car, and there were four of us in our car.
The officer was demanding to know why we were laughing, and he wasn't being nice about it.
He made us tell him exactly what was so funny...I wonder if he thought we were laughing at him...we were not.

I make sure now that I am very subdued and neutral when dealing with US officers, which I have not since 2015.

S J and periscope—it isn’t just Canadians that get hassled by power-hungry US customs officials at the land crossings. We have a clean record of many crossings without incident ( which they already know from photographing your license plate while you are waiting in line). But this agent chose to play hardball. When we rolled up to the booth, with my husband’s window rolled down, he barked “Roll down your window!” My husband responded “I just did”. This time he yelled, ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW!” My husband turned to me (in the passenger seat) and told him to just roll them all down without saying anything more. Turns out he wanted the back seat window down, but he never said that.

Things went from bad to worse when I answered the fresh fruit question honestly, saying we had an orange that we bought in the US and took to Canada but did not eat, so we were bringing it back. He could have just confiscated the orange ( US-grown oranges are technically legal but it did not have a produce sticker/barcode on it to prove my “story”. So he sent us to secondary inspection where we had to leave the car and go inside a building with no windows while they searched our car for an hour. A different agent inside made us fill out and sign a customs declaration listing everything we were bringing back in the way of food, and threatening us with dire consequences if we lied. Try to recall everything you packed in your ice chest several hours ago under those circumstances. . . .

My husband still hasn’t forgiven me for being honest about that orange.

I am not sure you realise how difficult US customs officers can be

The mentality between the US Customs officers and the Canadians is very different. 15 or 20 years ago, the company I work for was doing some work with a new border crossing building between Alberta and Montana. It was a joint project between the US and Canadian governments and it would be one shared building with half on the US side and half on the Canadian side. Because of the different firearms laws between the countries (for one, US border agents carry sidearms and Canadians don't), all joint areas such as cafeteria, weight room, etc. had to be on the US side because the Americans wouldn't be allowed to carry their firearms onto the Canadian side. The furniture configurations were completely different as well, on the American side, all desks and work spaces faced the windows to monitor potential danger, while there was no such requirement on the Canadian side.

Yeah, the handful of times I've crossed post 9/11, Canada has been easy, the US side - as a returning US Passport holder - has always been more difficult (and I'm a fingerprinted US Veteran!).

My worst experience; got to the front of the ticket counter line before my covid test email arrived. No problem, I change in IST that had no COVID restrictions. "Sorry sir, to do that you will have to split your ticket $$$$$. So I suggest you return to the back of the line (at least 75 people long) and start calling the lab. " which I did. A few minutes later I had the test. I held up my phone and thumbs up and settled in for a long wait. Two flight attendants approached me, put their arms around me and escorted me to the counter where the agent had stopped receiving the next customer so he could process me.

Yes, sometimes the airlines do take care of you. Thank you Turkish Air.

Two worst border crossings.

How was I supposed to know that the law changed and I needed a passport to return from a Mex/Tex border town? (Okay, should have.) Guard laughed and asked what I did have and my global entry card did the trick (Dont try it as I got lucky.)

The second was at IAH when I entered with a newly minted US Citizen friend (from a known terrorust supporting state). Everyone previous to her got matter of fact treatment, she got a warm welcome home Ms.......... and felt truly American for the first time.

World is full of good and bad people and it's the good that I remember most vividly.

In September 2021 I was traveling from Boston to Stockholm for the funeral of my stepfather. At Logan, at the check in, the agent told me if I didn’t have a Swedish passport or visa, or proof of a direct relative; I would not be allowed to board. I had researched the state department pages for both Sweden and the US beforehand, and there was nothing indicating this.
The agent said I had to provide proof of a direct relative right then and there. On my phone, I pulled up the link of my stepfather’s obituary with my name on it to show the agent, but that was wasn’t sufficient. I then called my sister (in the middle of the night in Stockholm), and fortunately she knew exactly where her passport was, took a photo, and sent it to me.
We both kept our maiden names on our passports and it is very unusual, so the agent finally relented. Before booking, I had thought that getting a PCR test with results in the exact number of hours before the flight was going to be the problem, not this.