Job Discussion Forums

[Gab]

Hi everyone,

I'm flying from Canada to Mexico in late July.
I'm flying Delta *(USA) and stopping in Atlanta.

I called customer service for a question about luggage, and while looking at my file, the telephone agent noticed I had a one way ticket. She told me I can't fly to Mexico on a one way ticket without a working Visa.

I called a second time *(and spoke to a French agent), and she told me CANADIANS CAN fly one way without a Visa, but they need a passport.

Anyone have experience with this?

Thanks.

P.s. If anyone in D.F. could send me some intersections to walk around looking for good schools, msg me. Thank you!

[dixie]

My cousins just arrived in town last weekend. They are moving here, and will be working here, but as is the norm, do not yet have their FM3.

They were hassled by one person at the airport (Montreal - flying Air Canada ) for having a one way ticket, but when another agent came along to sort it all out, the agent said the first person was wrong, and all was fine.

They flew direct however.

I flew here on a one way ticket, Montreal-Mexico, Mexicana with no issues. And flew Toronto-Houston-Torre�n (AA I think it was then) with no issues.

Seems like this is coming up a lot more than normal. Wonder if airlines are cracking down on it now because they want more money? With all of the other crap they are doing because of the "oil crisis" it wouldn�t surprise me.

[Guy Courchesne]

A British student of mine had a similar problem recently, flying from the UK, into the States, and on to Mexico. He has trouble with a one-way ticket at his American stopover, where they made him buy a return ticket, refusing him through to Mexico on the ticket he had purchased without trouble back home.

Maybe it's an American thing when you're a foreigner in transit.

[scottmx81]

Mexico itself doesn't require a return ticket to enter the country. I have flown on many one way tickets to Mexico, usually on Mexicana or Continental, usually from Detroit, Chicago or Toronto, and the only time I was ever asked for proof of a return flight was the one time I flew on American from San Francisco. But, I had an FM3 so it wasn't a problem.

So a return ticket isn't required for immigration reasons, but it looks like some airlines do ask for one. So really, you'll have to decide who at Delta is correct regarding their own policy, but as far as Mexico is concerned, it isn't even remotely necessary.

[Prof.Gringo]

I have always flown one-way on both a tourist card and a FM-3. Only time I didn't I went to South America and came back. I've never had a problem either in the US or Mexico.

[MO39]

The last few times I've flown between Mexico and the US, I've had one-way tickets and had absolutely no problems, no questioning of my ticket, in either country.

[notamiss]

I once experienced a sticky moment returning to Mexico from Canada, 2 of my kids nearly being prevented from boarding our flight due not to tickets but to other document "requirements" because the airline was trying to blindly apply a regulation that wasn't relevant to our case. Airlines can be stricter on documentation than immigration, perhaps because they don't want to risk flying you back at their expense if you couldn't enter the country.

About one-way tickets, there is some interesting discussion and information at the Peru forum in this thread: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=64034.

[silverthorne]

Hello!

I have recently bought a one-way ticket to Mexico City as I will be doing a TEFL course with Teachers Latin America in Mexico City. My flight from London to New York is with American Airlines and from New York to Mexico City is with Mexicana. Does anyone know whether this will be a problem? Why do they sell one-way tickets if they are not valid? I don't really want to have to buy a return ticket in New York as I am travelling on a limited budget.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

[hlamb]

I've flown numerous times on one way tickets and never had a problem. That's Vancouver to Mexico City, usually via Los Angeles.

[guatetaliana]

I've flown one-way on Mexicana from Chicago to Monterrey without trouble. In fact, I've done so three times.

[Samantha]

Guy wrote:

[lozwich]

I don't get it. I travel in and out of the US all the time, and its never been a problem if the original admission period has expired. I just get a new visa waiver entry and toddle on my way.

[Samantha]

Who knows? I agree it doesn't make sense, especially if you can prove you were not in the USA for said time period. It could be a randomly enforced rule with Homeland Security, but there it is in writing. (It says at the bottom of the page that it was last updated June 3, 2008.)

[aroha]

Yep, the problem is related to the Transit Without a Visa, the green immigration form that they hand out on the plane before arriving in the USA. Three years ago, the USA consulate in Auckland told me that i needed a B1/B2 visa from the USA if I was going to stay in a country bordering the USA for longer than 3 months, i.e., the original admission period as Samantha wrote. Apparently, if I didnt hold the B1/B2 visa then they could deny me the right to transit back out through LAX to New Zealand. It probably depends on the immigration agent that you get on the day too.

The airlines aren't necessarily aware of these rules, which is why it's important to check with your local US consulate in case there have been any changes.

Samantha, how did that New Zealand guy get home?

[Samantha]

Aroha gives really good advice here.

This particular teacher said he had a major hassle trying to sort it out and make sense of it, and was detained for awhile by US Immigration. What really hurt was that he was only going back to the USA to visit a friend in California and then was to return here to teach the next semester. He instead had to return to New Zealand. According to him, they told him if he returned to Mexico, they would not re-admit him to the USA, and he couldn't take that chance.