General Info

[QUOTE=GregLondon;1337663]I will be flying out to Asia soon and will first go to BKK. A couple of years ago Cebu Pacific was not letting people board their BKK-Clark flight without some evidence of a return or onward ticket. Can anyone who has flown into Phils from BKK recently confirm or deny whether they will let you on board with a one way ticket? I'd very much prefer to not to get a retrurn as I don't know how long I will stay in Phils.[/QUOTE]Just my 2 cents, unless the person looks like a Vagrant, I've never been asked to show proof of an outbound transportation ticket / paperwork. Usually the destination immigration official ask how long is your stay and state the nature of the visit, then stamp stamp, have a good visit.

Unless it has changed the outbound transportation carrier is responsible for your paperwork to enter a country e. G. Visa, passport, and proof of transportation out of the country.

Even if the airlines agents missed the required documents, the destination immigration official does have the final authority.

Technically they can deport you without proof of outbound paperwork and not give you the option of purchasing an outbound ticket, ship you back on the next available flight with the same carrier from your previous destination. Statistically it's very doubtful but can happen if the immigration official does not like your persona.

Guess you have to balance the risks, but if it happens the whole trip can be wasted time and currency. I hate to see the airfare the carrier would charge on the deported flight back.

GLP

[QUOTE=GuyLuvsParty; 1337755]Just my 2 cents, unless the person looks like a Vagrant, I've never been asked to show proof of an outbound transportation ticket / paperwork. Usually the destination immigration official ask how long is your stay and state the nature of the visit, then stamp stamp, have a good visit.

Unless it has changed the outbound transportation carrier is responsible for your paperwork to enter a country e. G. Visa, passport, and proof of transportation out of the country.

Even if the airlines agents missed the required documents, the destination immigration official does have the final authority.

Technically they can deport you without proof of outbound paperwork and not give you the option of purchasing an outbound ticket, ship you back on the next available flight with the same carrier from your previous destination. Statistically it's very doubtful but can happen if the immigration official does not like your persona.

Guess you have to balance the risks, but if it happens the whole trip can be wasted time and currency. I hate to see the airfare the carrier would charge on the deported flight back.

GLP[/QUOTE]Thanks WR. Do you mean that Emirates from Dubai are also asking for a return ticket? LAst year I went Cathay London. HK. Cebu and Cathay in London didn't ask for a return. I have flown BKK. Clark twice some years ago and Cebu Pacific in both cases asked for a return and insisted on some travellers buy a return at the airport. It's a real PITA. As GLP says Its rarely a problem in Phils itself (I once had alot of problems at Laoag airport but at the three main int airports they never seem to ask. Sadly that's not a huge help if they won't let you on the plane in BKK.

When I flew Cebu Pacific from Bangkok to Manila in July, I was aware of the airlines requirement for an outbound ticket. So I did what I always do. I made my own! Using an old Air Asia pdf ticket and 5 minutes work with Acrobat Pro and voila, new outward ticket. Previously this had worked a treat with the e-ticket receiving no more than a cursory glance to check dates etc before being handed back to me. But this time was different. She seemed to be checking something on her computer and at one point referred to her supervisor. I was seriously beginning to sweat, thinking that she had access to Air Asia's database and was able to ascertain that the ticket was fraudulent.

After what can have been no more than a minute but seemed like an hour, she handed the ticket back to me and wished me a pleasant flight. Whooo! Relief. I dashed off to change my underwear.

In future I might save myself the hassle by buying a cheap outbound ticket. But before that I'd be interested to know whether there is an all airline database where one airline can check reservation details of another airline. If so, they are getting too clever, by half.

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt;1337829]In future I might save myself the hassle by buying a cheap outbound ticket. But before that I'd be interested to know whether there is an all airline database where one airline can check reservation details of another airline. If so, they are getting too clever, by half.[/QUOTE]Because of privacy issues the cannot access another airline reservation system. However it does not aply if the airlines ae aligned like one world etc.

[QUOTE=Sammon;1337857]Because of privacy issues the cannot access another airline reservation system. However it does not aply if the airlines ae aligned like one world etc.[/QUOTE]Gets your facts right before you post, all international airlines that fly to PI have access to the GDS [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_reservations_system[/url] (global distribution systems)

[QUOTE=Frenzy3; 1337866]Gets your facts right before you post, all international airlines that fly to PI have access to the GDS.

[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_reservations_system[/url]

(global distribution systems) [/QUOTE]Wrong. Once a reservation is made in a GDS, the reservation can only be retrieved by the airline and the agent who made the reservation, if it is a legacy carrier.

And for legacy carriers, once the airline makes any amendments, the PNR is locked by the airline, the GDS cannot see the changes anymore.

And for LCCs, while they list on the GDS, they use their host, and not a given that all PNRs are visible across the board, and remember that there are many GDS out there, so any reservation on 1A will not always be visible in 1S and so on.

Add to it, those LCCs listing their inventory on GDS do so only for listing and avail, nothing more. All booking details are updated on their own host.

I know, I work for a GDS.

[QUOTE=Sammon;1337857]Because of privacy issues the cannot access another airline reservation system. However it does not aply if the airlines ae aligned like one world etc.[/QUOTE]Not correct Sammon.

Last time I flew to Australia on PAL they also knew that I was connecting to Virgin for all my domestic travel.

I don't think it is limited only to those in a strategic group alignment.

Systems like Amadeus are used by multiple airlines as well as travel agencies. They can follow you everywhere.

I think one reason why Phils is anxious about VISITORS showing that they have onward flights is because of the huge number of UNDOCUMENTED aliens living in the Philippines.

I have a friend in the NBI who is assigned to work with Immigration to try to track down these aliens without visas.

In one crackdown raid recently, they found 58 persons from South Asia living within a 3 km radius in a northern Luzon town who had arrived as tourists and had stayed. One of them had been here undocumented for 12 years. They were all off-loaded back to their home country.

The assumption is that having a return ticket means that you will use it to depart, but that is not always the case of course. Personally I don't think it is worth the risk. I would rather have a return ticket that can be changed if my departure dates need to be varied. Not worth the risk to have some negative notation put on your database entry that can be accessed by immigration anywhere in the world.

[QUOTE=Red Kilt; 1337915]Not correct Sammon.

Last time I flew to Australia on PAL they also knew that I was connecting to Virgin for all my domestic travel.[/QUOTE]If you interline, it shows up. Not otherwise.

[QUOTE]Systems like Amadeus are used by multiple airlines as well as travel agencies. They can follow you everywhere.[/QUOTE]No. Not when it involves multiple HOSTS.

[QUOTE]The assumption is that having a return ticket means that you will use it to depart, but that is not always the case of course. Personally I don't think it is worth the risk. I would rather have a return ticket that can be changed if my departure dates need to be varied. Not worth the risk to have some negative notation put on your database entry that can be accessed by immigration anywhere in the world.[/QUOTE]As I write this, last week, to cover the gaps, a friend sent an itinerary for a visit visa to Philippines- accepted and visa issue.

An ITIN is NOT A TICKET.

Now, if the Philippines immigration wants to ensure people are not messing their reservation, there are other ways, like Singapore immigration does. And claiming to be able to access all GDS is NOT one of them.

Ah, well, those caught, as per your friend in NBI, firstly would have been paying off the right people. For a start. So as long as such stuff exist, no can do.

That's my 2 cents.

Only one time I had this problem was I had booked a ticket to manila on cathay pacific because they had a sale. I saved almost $400 by doing this instead of flying to Hk. I had business in China and usually fly to Hk and into China. Ofcourse I always make a trip to Phi.

I stayed few days in manila with my gf and booked a cheap ticket on cebu pacific. On my return trip to Manila cebu pacific wanted proof of my ticket out of Phi. I told them I have booked on cathay pacific. They told me they have no means to check because they have no relations with cathay. Ultimately I had to go cathay pacific counter and the counter girl printed out my ticket which I showed to cebu pacific and was allowed to fly.

My info is based on this experience.

[QUOTE=Sammon; 1337939]Only one time I had this problem was I had booked a ticket to manila on cathay pacific because they had a sale. I saved almost $400 by doing this instead of flying to Hk. I had business in China and usually fly to Hk and into China. Ofcourse I always make a trip to Phi.

I stayed few days in manila with my gf and booked a cheap ticket on cebu pacific. On my return trip to Manila cebu pacific wanted proof of my ticket out of Phi. I told them I have booked on cathay pacific. They told me they have no means to check because they have no relations with cathay. Ultimately I had to go cathay pacific counter and the counter girl printed out my ticket which I showed to cebu pacific and was allowed to fly.

My info is based on this experience.[/QUOTE]They could look it up, but "by law" you are meant to show proof so she sent you to prove it to her, she could have looked it up to verify it was valid once you produced it, just looking at the link I posted cebu are on a different system Navitaire, Cathay Pacific are on Amadeus, but I have see the airlines run both due to laws as they have to pay if you are not properly documented.

[QUOTE=Cunning Stunt; 1337829]When I flew Cebu Pacific from Bangkok to Manila in July, I was aware of the airlines requirement for an outbound ticket. So I did what I always do. I made my own! Using an old Air Asia pdf ticket and 5 minutes work with Acrobat Pro and voila, new outward ticket. Previously this had worked a treat with the e-ticket receiving no more than a cursory glance to check dates etc before being handed back to me. But this time was different. She seemed to be checking something on her computer and at one point referred to her supervisor. I was seriously beginning to sweat, thinking that she had access to Air Asia's database and was able to ascertain that the ticket was fraudulent.

After what can have been no more than a minute but seemed like an hour, she handed the ticket back to me and wished me a pleasant flight. Whooo! Relief. I dashed off to change my underwear.

In future I might save myself the hassle by buying a cheap outbound ticket. But before that I'd be interested to know whether there is an all airline database where one airline can check reservation details of another airline. If so, they are getting too clever, by half.[/QUOTE]That's interesting. In the couple of times I have managed to get through I've told them a specific no Cebu Pacific flight out with an airline. I didn't go to the trouble of faking a ticket, all they seem to want is a flight number to put on their system. What I wasnt sure was whether the system has tightened up further. The issue is that for those of us flying around on budget airlines such as Cebu Pacific, if you have to book a return ticket you know you will not use it de facto doubles the price of the ticket. It is very frustrating as cebu pacific know damn well there is no real problem for westerners when one actually gets to phils but they have a strict company policy. To avoid confusion this seems to be a problem specific to flying into the Phils on a oneway ticket from Thailand, though WR has indicated that it is also no an issue on Emirates flying from Dubai.

[QUOTE=Red Kilt; 1337915]Not correct Sammon.

Last time I flew to Australia on PAL they also knew that I was connecting to Virgin for all my domestic travel.

I don't think it is limited only to those in a strategic group alignment.

Systems like Amadeus are used by multiple airlines as well as travel agencies. They can follow you everywhere.

I think one reason why Phils is anxious about VISITORS showing that they have onward flights is because of the huge number of UNDOCUMENTED aliens living in the Philippines.

I have a friend in the NBI who is assigned to work with Immigration to try to track down these aliens without visas.

In one crackdown raid recently, they found 58 persons from South Asia living within a 3 km radius in a northern Luzon town who had arrived as tourists and had stayed. One of them had been here undocumented for 12 years. They were all off-loaded back to their home country.

The assumption is that having a return ticket means that you will use it to depart, but that is not always the case of course. Personally I don't think it is worth the risk. I would rather have a return ticket that can be changed if my departure dates need to be varied. Not worth the risk to have some negative notation put on your database entry that can be accessed by immigration anywhere in the world.[/QUOTE]I got a chuckle reading the part "I have a friend in the NBI who is assigned to work with Immigration to try to track down these aliens without visas.

In one crackdown raid recently, they found 58 persons from South Asia living within a 3 km radius in a northern Luzon town who had arrived as tourists and had stayed. One of them had been here undocumented for 12 years. They were all off-loaded back to their home country.

What country is so bad that people want to come to Phil to live? Most people are trying their best to leave it. LOL.

[QUOTE=Red Kilt; 1337915]Not correct Sammon.

Last time I flew to Australia on PAL they also knew that I was connecting to Virgin for all my domestic travel.

I don't think it is limited only to those in a strategic group alignment.

Systems like Amadeus are used by multiple airlines as well as travel agencies. They can follow you everywhere.

I think one reason why Phils is anxious about VISITORS showing that they have onward flights is because of the huge number of UNDOCUMENTED aliens living in the Philippines.

I have a friend in the NBI who is assigned to work with Immigration to try to track down these aliens without visas.

In one crackdown raid recently, they found 58 persons from South Asia living within a 3 km radius in a northern Luzon town who had arrived as tourists and had stayed. One of them had been here undocumented for 12 years. They were all off-loaded back to their home country.

The assumption is that having a return ticket means that you will use it to depart, but that is not always the case of course. Personally I don't think it is worth the risk. I would rather have a return ticket that can be changed if my departure dates need to be varied. Not worth the risk to have some negative notation put on your database entry that can be accessed by immigration anywhere in the world.[/QUOTE]I got a chuckle reading the part "I have a friend in the NBI who is assigned to work with Immigration to try to track down these aliens without visas.

In one crackdown raid recently, they found 58 persons from South Asia living within a 3 km radius in a northern Luzon town who had arrived as tourists and had stayed. One of them had been here undocumented for 12 years. They were all off-loaded back to their home country.

What country is so bad that people want to come to Phil to live? Most people are trying their best to leave it. LOL.

[QUOTE=Nightrider1;1337976]What country is so bad that people want to come to Phil to live? Most people are trying their best to leave it. LOL.[/QUOTE]If you lived here you might get a surprise. For some of us who have been here for a long time it has way more pluses than minuses.

These aliens were escaping an even worse life back home and were living like kings until they got sprung.

[QUOTE=GregLondon;1337815]Thanks WR. Do you mean that Emirates from Dubai are also asking for a return ticket?.[/QUOTE]Yes. Really new policy and they apologised as they saw my return in the system but insisted. I did a FR on this earlier and it a shame for those who don't know. As I said welcome to the Philippines (and when are you leaving sir?).

Why do some go to LOS instead of PI. 30 day visa, no hassles to board and no self righteous NGOs closing the places we like. The latter would have real fun in Soi Cowboy etc am sure. Or maybe not LOL