Round Trip Ticket to Russia Required??
 

In attempting to book a one way airline ticket from Los Angeles to Vladivostok as part of my RTW ride this summer, I was told by the ticketing agent that without a round trip or onward ticket from Russia I might be denied boarding, either in LA or Seoul. She said this wasn't definite, but a possibiity. Apparently the airline can be heavily fined if someone arrives in a foreign country, is denied entry, and doesn't have a ticket to leave the country.

Obviously, I would prefer to avoid the cost of a round trip ticket that I would only half use. Has anyone heard of such a thing happening to anyone? Any comments/advice on how to deal with this situation would be greatly appreciated.

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Mike

a round trip ticket might not be more expensive than the one-way. It actually cheaper most of the time. Makes a lot of sense, I know...

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Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius - William Blake

Unfortunately, in this specific situation a round trip ticket is anywhere from about $400 to over $1K more than a one way ticket, depending on the time and departure city.

A good thought, though. Thanks.



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Mike

a bit strange from this tecketing agent, since you have your beautiful russian visa, your bike there or travelling with your bike through russia etc ...

explain one more time with all the documents which prove all mentioned above and more ... or try an other ticketing agent, hope you ll be more lucky :-)

After a couple of tries and about 2-3 weeks of waiting, I finally received the reply below from Korean Air on this issue of the requirement of a round trip ticket.

"Dear Customer:

In regards to your inquiry of Korean Air’s policy, please be advised that boarding will be denied without proof of a return ticket.

Best Regards,

US Customer Relations
Korean Air"

My solution was to buy a one way return ticket from Vladivostok to LA that is fully refundable, at a cost of about $1800. Although I shall presumably get the money back when I submit the ticket for a refund, it's still irritating to have to lay out that sort of money for no good reason, even if it is temporary.

Hope this information will be of help to someone if the future. It's odd that I've never heard of this actually happening to someone (being denied boarding, that is), but I can't afford the risk of this occurring.




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Mike

[This message has been edited by liketoride2 (edited 17 July 2005).]

[This message has been edited by liketoride2 (edited 17 July 2005).]

I'm now in Vladivostok and wanted to give a quick update on this situation.

At no point on my flights from Twin Falls, Idaho to Vladivostok was I asked if I had a return ticket from Russia. It's possible that at the Korean Air counter in Los Angeles they could tell from their computers that I did, but I doubt this as they had enough trouble just finding me in the list for the flight I was taking on that day.

I don't know what to advise anyone who might be in this situation in the future, but if I had it to do over again I think I would not spend the $1800 US for a refundable return ticket but rather buy one there at the airport counter if I was told I must have one. I presume I'll eventually get that $1800 but it's still been a royal pita.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

Btw, I've posted some new comments on the trip so far in the Trip Journal page of my website, www.rtwrider.net.

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Mike

[This message has been edited by liketoride2 (edited 11 August 2005).]

I missed this thread earlier but FYI.

This issue happens frequently, and not just for motorcyclists. This issue is that you need to show proof of real intent to leave the country you are entering and obviously a return ticket is a major factor and the norm. Airline employees do not know or are afraid to permit people to board without a return ticket. Keep in mind it is not up to the airline to decide whether you can enter a country only whether you can board their plane. A well documented case showing your plans to leave the country and persistance in finding the right person will get you one the plane with a one way ticket, although sometimes it may be easier at minimal cost to buy a round trip ticket.

[This message has been edited by JSherm (edited 11 August 2005).]