One Way Tickets

[MrSpike]

Anybody had any problems flying from the UK to BKK on a one way ticket?

[Tafia]

Anybody had any problems flying from the UK to BKK on a one way ticket?

No Problem PROVIDING you have the correct Visa.

There are others here who will advice you more fully than I, but airlines will deny you flying if you dont hold a return ticket or correct visa.

[PAUL1774]

Anybody had any problems flying from the UK to BKK on a one way ticket?

No Problem PROVIDING you have the correct Visa.

There are others here who will advice you more fully than I, but airlines will deny you flying if you dont hold a return ticket or correct visa.

they will refuse you entry if you have not got work permit or long term visa.most airlines wont let you fly because they get fined as well.you would have to give more details of your travels.

[Ayutthaya69]

Anybody had any problems flying from the UK to BKK on a one way ticket?

hi i have a friend i come to visit me everry years whit only one way ticket no return and i hold a Tourist Visa double entrie and no problem get a double entrie before no visa you cant come in Thailand whit only one way good luck

[PattayaParent]

I was refused check in by Emirates in Manchester until I unpacked my bag and dragged out my onward ticket out of Thailand.

Best get a tourist visa.

[Mario2008]

Without a visa from a consulate or embassy you need to show proof that you will leave the country within 30 days. With a visa there is no problem.

[tig28]

Beware !!

Whilst the rules are quite clear -- airline staff may not be aware of them. Holding a debate over this at boarding is not realistic. On two occasions flying from Australia to Thailand I was refused boarding unless I held an outbound ticket.

After the second event (and after establishing the correct requirements) I emailed Qantas "customer service" .... resulting in six emails over several weeks ---- and received totally incorrect advice in all but the last reply.

What hope does the staff at boarding have when their "customer service" people have no idea --- are too stupid to find out --- and prefer to simply pass on totally incorrect information!!!

Here are just two replies I received from Qantas.

Reply #2:

Dear Mr Tig,

Thank you for your e-mail.

Unfortunately it is a requirement of Thailand that you have an onward flight and nothing to do with IATA or the airline. There are heavy fines involved for QANTAS or other airlines if you do not have the correct documentation when you arrive and this can result in you being sent back to Australia. We have attached information listed on the qantas website in regards to documentation and visas for you to look over to ensure that it does not happen.

http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/befor...vel/countryInfo

Regards

Emma

QANTAS Airways

When you are aware who IATA are and what they do --- you will appreciate just how incredibly stupid this reply really was!! The supreme insult is that when you visit the Qantas site Emma points out ---- it directly contradicts her advice ..... and is a cut & paste from the IATA site. Really....... what hope has a passenger got when faced by muppets like this??

So after several weeks of email to and fro with the "unknowing" at Qantas --- who continued to insist that they did know --- I finally managed to get them to actually look at their own bl@@dy website. Resulting in:

Their last (petulant) reply:

Dear Mr Tig,

Thank you for your e-mail.

As per our website information as well as the information you have been given by the Thailand Immigration you can travel on a one way ticket, you must be holding a valid passport and visa.

Regards

Candida

QANTAS Airways

One last point --- possession of a work permit has nothing to do with it!!

[Mario2008]

Airline staff can normaly search the IATA database, which gives all requirements. When they don't know, just ask them to check this database.

Some airlines even link to this database on their website, see for instance: http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations...ation/index.jsp

[beano2274]

It is a requirement to hold an outbound ticket or a return ticket when entering Thailand, as per the IATA site. A one way ticket is not acceptable, unless you have the correct visa to allow this.

[tig28]

Airline staff can normaly search the IATA database, which gives all requirements. When they don't know, just ask them to check this database.

Hi Mario

When standing at the check-in counter facing the airport duty manager and being told that you cannot board without an outbound ticket ---- what is plan B????

I told him of the info in the IATA website --- he simply stated he did not believe that to be correct--- and "would I like to board the aircraft --- or not??"

I advised him of the contents of his own Qantas website --- with exactly the same response .... he stated he KNEW the rules and was going to apply them....."would I like to board the aircraft --- or not??

"

This was the purpose of my warning ..... being right may not get you on the plane!!!!

Some airlines even link to this database on their website, see for instance: http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations...ation/index.jsp

Mario

Qantas directly cut & paste from the IATA website....

http://www.qantas.com.au/info/flying/befor...vel/countryInfo

But that made no difference whatsoever !!! "No outbound ticket --- you cannot board the aircraft"

So the simple moral of my tale is that whilst the information provided in the last email from Qantas is correct.......

IE: "you can travel on a one way ticket, you must be holding a valid passport and visa."

I strongly recommend that passengers do not rely on that ..... as the staff you face may not agree.

[tig28]

I apologise in advance for being pedantic ---- but in the interest of accuracy:

"No Problem PROVIDING you have the correct Visa.

There are others here who will advice you more fully than I, but airlines will deny you flying if you dont hold a return ticket or correct visa."

"they will refuse you entry if you have not got work permit or long term visa.most airlines wont let you fly because they get fined as well.you would have to give more details of your travels".

There is no "incorrect visa" --- the requirement is simply to have a visa. Any visa.

There is no requirement to have a work permit.

There s no requirement to have a "return ticket" ---- it is simply an outbound ticket from Thailand.

[Mario2008]

Tig28, what I would have done would have depended on my circumstances, in essence the need to travel fast. But I would certainly have demanded a letter from him stating the grounds for is refusal, in full knowledge of the information provided by the airline and IATA for my lawyer.

[jombom]

Slightly off-topic but possibly related.

A few years ago, doing a visa-run at a land border, the Thai immigration official (at Thai exit) asked to see my ticket for leaving Thailand on my return. (Having established that I wished to come back to Thailand the same day).

It had never crossed my mind to bring my airline ticket to a land border. He politely told me I could leave Thailand if I wished, but could not return that day, without proof of how I proposed to leave Thailand the next time.

On returning to the same border crossing about a week later, with my airline ticket, nobody asked to see it.

[tig28]

Tig28, what I would have done would have depended on my circumstances, in essence the need to travel fast. But I would certainly have demanded a letter from him stating the grounds for is refusal, in full knowledge of the information provided by the airline and IATA for my lawyer.

Hi Mario

You are absolutely correct ... I was under a bit of pressure ... not much time and people queued impatiently behind me. But YES ... next time I shall use my brain a little better. I now carry all the emails from their customer service .... but....

On the second occasion I described I actually knew the duty airport manager socially for probably 10 years ... we were far from strangers ... his position was:

"Tig what you say is not what I have been told by my superiors nor as I understand it to be ... letting you board is not worth my job .. so unfortunately ......"

Standing aside the check-in counter (where we discussed this) there seemed to be no internet available ... so I gave up and offered purchase an AirAsia ticket BKK to anywhere. He DID check me in on that condition. He did not require me to show him the ticket -- he trusted me to do as I said I would do.

Additionally ..... returning with my Thai wife 2 months ago we were on a British Airways flight. We pased throughall the various levels of boarding without question but prior to entering the "boarding tunnel" two BA staff were re-checking boarding passes and passports>

The first one took my wifes documents and pased my stuff to her collegue saying as she did so "check his return ticket"

The second attendant looked confused -- glanced at my boarding pass and pasport --- smiled and waved me through.

I think I had a narrow escape.

[Mario2008]

Sometimes you will have to do what they tell you, even if they are wrong, if you don't want to miss your flight.

But it might make be worthwhile to make a complaint later and ask for an explanation and refund of your expenses.

I would have bought the unnecessary ticket too.

[tig28]

Ok -- this thread see to have run its course -- I hope we have helped the OP ... but I am concerned this may have left him on uncertain grounds. What does he do??

here are some thoughts:

I fly twice each year from Australia to Thailand on a one way ticket.(The return leg on a Thai. to Aust. return ticket) with the 2 problems I have described above. I shall continue to do so.

I shall carry a print out of the regulations (IATA) obtained from the link Mario2008 included in his post. Here again:

http://www.delta.com/planning_reservations...ation/index.jsp

This link to IATA is via Delta Air --- and much easier to navigate than direct into IATA. Thanks Mario.

I shall arrive 20 mins earlier than usual --- so I have time to fight.

I shall act upon this good suggestion:

Mario2008 Posted Yesterday, 2009-11-03 11:12:50

Tig28, what I would have done would have depended on my circumstances, in essence the need to travel fast. But I would certainly have demanded a letter from him stating the grounds for is refusal, in full knowledge of the information provided by the airline and IATA for my lawyer.

[craigt3365]

This happened to me a few years ago flying to the Philippines. I was refused by Emirates to get on the plane unless I had an onward ticket. Easy! I bought a fully refundable ticket on the spot. Applied for a refund when I landed in the PI. Got it with 45 days. At least I was able to get on the plane!!!

[tig28]

This happened to me a few years ago flying to the Philippines. I was refused by Emirates to get on the plane unless I had an onward ticket. Easy! I bought a fully refundable ticket on the spot. Applied for a refund when I landed in the PI. Got it with 45 days. At least I was able to get on the plane!!!

[kubota]

It has happened to me 3 times this year that they has asked for a onward ticket, 2 times in Malta, and the third time in Heathrow, this was a BA flight, At the chech in counter in Heathrow they asked me to fill in a form so they would not be economical repsonable for any problem i could face travelling without a visa, or a onward ticket, I happily signed that paper. But from now on i will ask my employer to arrange with a onward ticket to Singapore, or other neighbouring contries to avoid this hassle.

In Malta it was finally sorted when i showed them my driver license (Thai) and Thai bankbook, and some documents written in Thai.

So it's recomended to have a onward ticket, to avoid this hassle. I guess you can get a ticket from a travel acency for a small fee which can be cancelled a few days after arrival?