Passengers are responsible for needed visas

I made airline reservations with Expedia.com in December 2011 to visit family in Belarus. The flight itinerary I chose had me departing Dec. 20 on Delta Air Lines from Cincinnati for New York (JFK Airport), where I was to connect with Aeroflot and continue to Minsk, Belarus, via Moscow, Russia. The reverse trip would be made on Dec. 28.

When I got to New York, Aeroflot would not let me on the airplane because I did not have a visa for Russia. I said I was going to Belarus (for which I had a visa), not Russia, but was told, “Well, to change airplanes in Moscow, you need a Russian visa.”

I had never heard of such a thing, and I feel that if such a special travel requirement exists, it is the responsibility of the booking agency (Expedia, in this case) to advise the passenger. I called Expedia while at the airport to see if I could get the ticket changed. I was told, ‘No.’

The tickets had cost me $1,240, in addition to which I had paid $75 to check two boxes of Christmas presents.

I then went to the Delta counter and tried to use the return portion of my ticket to get back to Cincinnati. I was told they could not change the ticket, even for a fee, and I had to go back to Expedia.

Since I was in the airport with no Internet access and had a short time to get through security and catch a return flight, I bought a new ticket back to Cincinnati for $526 and paid another $60 to check the two boxes again.

After I got home, I called Expedia on Dec. 21 and was told I could be refunded only for the unused portion of the ticket plus the cancellation cost. They returned to me $706 out of the original $1,240.

When I first checked in at Delta in Cincinnati, the agent asked to see my Belarus visa. I showed it to her and she issued me boarding passes for the flights all the way to Belarus (with “DOCS OK” shown on the ticket), so on Dec. 21 I also e-mailed Delta saying that since they consistently book flights to Eastern Europe with Aeroflot, one of their SkyTeam partners, it seemed to me that they should have known the visa requirement and stopped me from getting on the airplane.

Delta, to their credit, refunded the $526 I had paid in New York to return home, sending me a check, but did not refund any of the baggage fees I had paid.

None of the above even addresses my other losses (over $200) in visa fees and the cost of canceling my hotel in Mogilev, Belarus.

JOHN WILLIAMSON
Beavercreek, OH

ITN both mailed and e-mailed copies of Mr. Williamson’s e-mail to both Expedia.com (333 108th Ave. NE, Bellevue, WA 98004) and Delta Air Lines (1030 Delta Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30354-1989; customer-care@delta.com). Expedia did not respond. Delta wrote the following.

On behalf of everyone at Delta Air Lines, I apologize that Mr. Williamson was not aware that he needed to have a visa to Russia in addition to his visa to Belarus.

I recognize that he made his travel arrangements via Expedia and that he believes they should have informed him of the documentation requirements for travel to Belarus via Russia. Ultimately, the responsibility falls on the individual passenger to know the most current requirements to enter any country, but I am truly sorry that he was not able to travel as he originally hoped.

I did review this matter further. Normally, if a passenger is traveling to Belarus and is not changing terminals in Moscow as a connection point, he would not require a visa. However, if in transit to/from Belarus and if transferring between Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) Terminals B/C and Terminals D/E/F, then a Russian (transit) visa is required in addition to the Belarus visa.

I realize that our agent had allowed Mr. Williamson to travel from Cincinnati with the documentation provided. I also recognize that Aeroflot was aware of the terminal change needed between their two flights and this was why Mr. Williamson was stopped.

We expect our agents to be accurate. From looking at the ticket, our agent would not have realized that Mr. Williamson would have to change terminals in Moscow or that this would result in the requirement for a Russian visa. However, we also agree that he should not have been allowed to commence the trip because our agent should have checked. Be assured I will be sharing his comments with our Airport Customer Service leadership team for internal followup.

In recognizing our part, we had refunded Mr. Williamson’s return ticket. We are unable to refund the portion of the ticket flown to New York because it is not on our own ticket stock.

As a gesture of goodwill, I have issued Mr. Williamson an Electronic Transportation Credit Voucher in the amount of $150.

GINA RUBINO, Coordinator, Corporate Customer Care, Delta Air Lines

In a followup e-mail, Mr. Williamson wrote, “I think Delta’s response is professional, and I appreciate the voucher for $150.

“Regarding the comment that it is the individual’s responsibility to know the visa requirements for entering a country, how was I to know that I would be changing terminals? The airline tickets just indicate that I’m flying from New York to Moscow and Moscow to Minsk.”