Leaving the UK

[Snowy79]

3 hours ago, Explorer said:

So if I buy 2 tickets for my trip, Miami -> Manila and Manila -> Hong Kong, the airline agent at the airport can now read minds and say "Oh no, the MNL -> HKG ticket is not a real ticket, it is a throw away ticket, you cannot board the plane!"?

Not sure of what scams you are talking about, if you have a reservation number and it showing on the agent's system under your name, it is a valid ticket.

Good luck buying a ticket to Hong Kong as you have to enter your details to book the flight and it will know you are from the USA as part of the booking requirements are your personal details.  Automatically you should be rejected.

Give it a try as you have nothing to lose except a switched on immigration officer who knows Americans aren't allowed to enter Hong Kong and thus your exit flight is invalid.  Mind you unless you are married to a Filipino or have a child with your name on the birth certificate you won't even get to the Philippines just now.

The throwaway type ticket that is in many cases a scam are the $5 or $10 dollar ones that some sites rent out.  I've used one site twice.  Both times it cost about $10 the first when returning from a trip to Malaysia I got a cheap return that was valid for 48hrs before being cancelled.  I think it works on the principle that a legitimate agent books an expensive flight a month in advance on your behalf once you pay him the $10.  This ticket is fully refundable to the agent. If you are flying into the Philippines say the 10th of Dec he sends you your true booking on the 8th or 9th.  When you arrive at immigration your exit ticket shows as valid on the system and you get into the country.  On the evening ofthe 10th the agent cancel the flight and gets a full refund pocketting your $10.  Many scam artists picked up on this and set up sites offering the same service but sending you fake booking references and flight details. Airlines have the responsibility to check your departure ticket and their computers are up to-date with all flights. If it shows on their system as a false booking you will be refused boarding.  

Edited November 19, 2020 by Snowy79

[Terry P]

2 hours ago, GeoffH said:

That's true as far as it goes but do you have a right to enter Hong Kong on your throwaway ticket? (Yes I know you're not going to use it but that's not the point I'm making).

I'm not sure what the current status of entry to Hong Kong is for foreigners but if tourist entry isn't allowed I'd be uncomfortable in the current situation using a throwaway ticket to that destination.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't use a throwaway ticket.  I'm just saying I'd make sure it was one that was fully valid to use and you had a valid right of entry to the destination country *yes even though you don't intend to use it*

All of this thread may be history before too long

It's in the newsfeeds today there's going to be a shakeup within BI and immigration process

[Explorer]

3 hours ago, Snowy79 said:

Good luck buying a ticket to Hong Kong as you have to enter your details to book the flight and it will know you are from the USA as part of the booking requirements are your personal details.  Automatically you should be rejected.

Give it a try as you have nothing to lose except a switched on immigration officer who knows Americans aren't allowed to enter Hong Kong and thus your exit flight is invalid.  Mind you unless you are married to a Filipino or have a child with your name on the birth certificate you won't even get to the Philippines just now.

The throwaway type ticket that is in many cases a scam are the $5 or $10 dollar ones that some sites rent out.  I've used one site twice.  Both times it cost about $10 the first when returning from a trip to Malaysia I got a cheap return that was valid for 48hrs before being cancelled.  I think it works on the principle that a legitimate agent books an expensive flight a month in advance on your behalf once you pay him the $10.  This ticket is fully refundable to the agent. If you are flying into the Philippines say the 10th of Dec he sends you your true booking on the 8th or 9th.  When you arrive at immigration your exit ticket shows as valid on the system and you get into the country.  On the evening ofthe 10th the agent cancel the flight and gets a full refund pocketting your $10.  Many scam artists picked up on this and set up sites offering the same service but sending you fake booking references and flight details. Airlines have the responsibility to check your departure ticket and their computers are up to-date with all flights. If it shows on their system as a false booking you will be refused boarding.  

Please... we all know that travel is restricted now, the op is talking about some time in the future when they will open travel and he will apply for a tourist visa, please read the entire conversation.

And what is your point about scamming? All I am talking about is buying or putting on hold a legitimate ticket. Just because someone somewhere is scamming, does it mean that we all need to stop using throw away tickets now? 

[Explorer]

5 hours ago, GeoffH said:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't use a throwaway ticket.  I'm just saying I'd make sure it was one that was fully valid to use and you had a valid right of entry to the destination country *yes even though you don't intend to use it*

Right, no question about it, you may need a visa, but the whole discussion here is about some time in the future (the op say January 2021, but I think more likely January 2022) when tourism is open again, so I assume when Philippines is open other countries in the region will be open too, hong kong is just an example.

[graham59]

3 hours ago, Explorer said:

Right, no question about it, you may need a visa, but the whole discussion here is about some time in the future (the op say January 2021, but I think more likely January 2022) when tourism is open again, so I assume when Philippines is open other countries in the region will be open too, hong kong is just an example.

No, the whole discussion was supposed to be about the OP leaving the UK, and travelling to the Philippines, before you hijacked it with your 'I'm right and you're all wrong' responses. When did you last leave the UK to fly to the Philippines ?

Admittedly I've only being flying back and forth to Asia since 1955, and the Phlls for the past 30 years ...so what do I know ?    

Edited November 19, 2020 by graham59

[Explorer]

28 minutes ago, graham59 said:

No, the whole discussion was supposed to be about the OP leaving the UK, and travelling to the Philippines, before you hijacked it with your 'I'm right and you're all wrong' responses. When did you last leave the UK to fly to the Philippines ?

Admittedly I've only being flying back and forth to Asia since 1955, and the Phlls for the past 30 years ...so what do I know ?    

I hijacked the thread? You made a claim, which is misleading in my opinion, that airlines will demand a return ticket instead of "throwaway" ticket before you can board a flight to the Philippines, so I made a post voicing my opinion, this simple post of mine created some responses, which curiously ignored my core claim but instead were trying to "educate" me about visas (yes, I know no tourist visas are available at the moment) and scams (yes, there are scammers, but what this has to do with someone buying an airline ticket?)

So unless you or someone else can show me an "official" airline announcement about this new policy, yours is just an opinion and I am entitled also to have an opinion, am I wrong?

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, Explorer said:

I am entitled also to have an opinion, am I wrong?

Yes, you are entitled to an opinion.  It is redundant to re-state that opinion a couple or a few times in each page of the thread.  Your point has been made.

[Explorer]

57 minutes ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Yes, you are entitled to an opinion.  It is redundant to re-state that opinion a couple or a few times in each page of the thread.  Your point has been made.

Thank you! I rest my case, let the jury decide...

[Terry P]

2 hours ago, Explorer said:

Thank you! I rest my case, let the jury decide...

Jurys verdict

Have a beer and chill out