Have your paperwork ready before you fly

Published 5:37 pm Friday, January 27, 2012

Question: I’m an Indian national residing in the United States. I was scheduled to fly from Houston to Mumbai on British Airways recently. My itinerary involved a short stopover in London.

In Houston, while checking in with British Airways, I was denied boarding because my work visa was not stamped in my passport. The original visa stamped in my passport had expired, and I was traveling to India in order to get my renewed visa stamped at the U.S. consulate in Mumbai.

I was carrying an application that permits me to continue living and working legally in the U.S. and to travel abroad. However, before re-entering the U.S., I’m required to obtain a valid U.S. visa stamp in my passport.

I tried my best to explain this to the check-in agent; however, she was adamant in not allowing me to transit through London. This was a Catch-22 situation for me — I could not go to India without my visa stamped in my passport, and I could not get my visa stamped unless I visited the consulate in India.

The British Airways check-in staff was very unhelpful. Can you help me?

Mita Upadhyay, Corpus Christi, Texas

Answer: British Airways should have made its travel policies regarding visas crystal clear to you. I checked with the airline, and it insists it did.

“There are links on ba.com that allow passengers to check their passport and visa requirements for their journey, ” a British Airways spokeswoamn said.

Given your predicament, it would have been a nice gesture to reroute you on a flight that didn’t require a stopover in London.

Unfortunately, having all your paperwork in order is your responsibility.

Still, British Airways offered a refund of $125 and a $600 flight credit.

You can email Christopher Elliott at celliott@ngs.org.

&Copy; 2012 Christopher Elliott/ Tribune Media Services, Inc.