Airlines are tightening travel document checks as they face growing costs associated with passengers being refused entry at their destinations. However, travel agents and visa specialists say some passengers are being incorrectly denied boarding because airline staff misinterpret visa requirements.
At the end of October, IATA called for fairer balance of responsibilities and costs between governments and airlines when passengers are refused entry on arrival at a destination.
“Despite document checks by airlines, some travellers are refused entry at their destination. This can result in airlines bearing significant costs, including fines,” said Nick Careen, IATA Senior VP for Safety and Security.
IATA cited inadmissible passenger costs at between US$4 000 (R66 500) and US$14 000 (R232 900) per passenger, depending on the destination barring entry. It said documentation and processing errors accounted for 20% to 30% of cases, while about 80% of cases received no official reason from immigration authorities.
Travel agents say airlines are becoming stricter about enforcing visa requirements but that staff do not always interpret the rules correctly, sometimes resulting in passengers being unnecessarily denied boarding.
Common misconceptions
Head of the Visa Division at Apostil, Annita Mtsweni, said: “In our experience with visa facilitation, one of the most common challenges is the misinterpretation of visa conditions, particularly validity dates, permitted duration of stay, number of entries and previous travel history.
“We also encounter issues involving dual nationality, passport changes and name discrepancies between travel documents. In some cases, airline staff are simply unfamiliar with certain visa categories or entry requirements, which can result in unnecessary delays or passengers being denied boarding.”
Heather Lavery, Owner of The Travelling Agent, said UK transit visa exemptions were a particular source of confusion for South African travellers.
“One of the biggest challenges is when South Africans travel to onward destinations with a transit in the UK. Some airline staff do not know about all the visa rules, so they don’t know that if a South African already has a valid US visa then they do not have to get a UK transit visa. Some airline staff may deny them boarding because they do not know this rule.”
How agents can help
To avoid travellers being denied boarding, travel agents can recommend that their travellers carry all their supplementary travel documents and arrive at the airport for check-in and the boarding gate as early as possible.
Mtsweni recommended that agents prepare a travel document pack for all their clients, noting that the pack should include copies of their passports, valid visas, previous passports where relevant, travel itinerary and any supporting documents explaining their visa status or travel circumstances.
“When a passenger experiences difficulties at check-in, we recommend immediately requesting assistance from the airline's supervisor or duty manager. The specific concern should be established and the relevant visa conditions and supporting documentation presented for review,” she said.
Elize Malan, Owner of ELCO Travel, added: “I recommend my travellers to arrive three-and-a-half hours before departure because what I discovered was that the airline is more likely to turn passengers away if they are later in the line and may use visa issues as the reason, when the plane is already fully booked or overbooked. This is my opinion and the reason why I recommend my travellers arrive at the boarding line as early as possible and bring all additional documents with them, including the new SARS declaration. Rather have more than less.”
