Denied boarding to Jakarta due to 'damaged' passport

[33kft]

Yeah, simpletons blame the person who said no. Figuratively shooting the messenger.

Let's have Indonesia drop the fine to the airline and levy it on the individual and see what happens. They aren't stupid though, they know precisely how that would play out for them.

 

[RooFlyer]

This issue of 'damaged' passports being unacceptable has caused me to put off 2 planned trips to Indonesia now. My PP is a bit battered - OK in the spine, but corners a bit tatty. My attitude is their loss, not mine. I'll go when get a new passport.

I can't see a problem in the airline enforcing what the destination wants (even if its a bit over-enforced due to vagueness). The fact that they'll cop a fine if they deliver a non-allowable pax is the same for any (or most) countries I think - with the USA being the most obvious example. There it's not a tatty passport but any one of many bits of information demanded prior to flight. And I have no problem at all with the airline being the enforcer for the USA or anyone else - better for the pax too if they don't arrive at LAX immigration to go no further than a deportation cell.

But the untidy thing, especially for Indonesia, is that no-one tells the passengers until they rock up to the airport (unless they are on AFF) - well, as far as I know. I've never booked a flight there

 

[33kft]

But the untidy thing, especially for Indonesia, is that no-one tells the passengers until they rock up to the airport (unless they are on AFF) - well, as far as I know. I've never booked a flight there

Yes and no, I think it goes a bit deeper than that.

I know that if I go to the US, I have some rigmarole to deal with. There's the APIS information, ESTA, dealing with TSA and the rest. I know why, as well - this was the country that had 4 jetliners hijacked in a day and used to blow up some of the most iconic and heavily populated buildings in the country. If I travel to Israel, I know that I'm going to get the full treatment. This is a country that is constantly under mortar attack by its neighbours. I get the context, I get the purpose.

I would challenge you to find, in the 18 years since the attack on the US or the 71 years that Israel has been a state, a significant number of people arbitrarily denied passage to the countries in question. I get that there have been some false positives in the US over those years, or that the restrictions have caused great inconvenience to travelers, but I suspect that we collectively would see the overall balance as being to be expected given the circumstances.

Now lets consider the plight of Indonesia, and her response to such. In effect, we have a disproportionate response to a threat that we're not even sure of. It has been handled in an arguably worse way (given the number of reported cases of refusal to carry, with at least one member of the forums affected) over a much shorter period of time, and the enforcement is so vague that examples showed two separate airlines in Indonesia, with one refusing carriage and the other judging the passport to be valid.

Every country has the sovereign right to enforce their policy, I am all for that. When it is so poorly managed that it becomes a risk to travel to the country, we have the right to call them out for it. Why anyone would choose to play roulette with Indonesian immigration is beyond me - not only is there no effective message sent if people continue to travel there, they wear the risk of the outcome. What kills me is the woke of the western world professing their love for Indonesia (a country that absolutely does not share that sentiment - has anyone bothered to listen to successive Indonesian presidents views on Australia?) when they'd return a latte if it didn't taste right. The reality is flying to bali is not a cultural experience, it is a product like any other and if you don't like it, don't buy into it.

 

[amaroo]

Rules are rules

 

[Cossie]

I'm shocked she was flying Jetstar! Looking at her passport, it seems to be in way worse condition than mine.

Hopefully, her being a notable person will help get the message out, perhaps even an official reply from the embassy as to why they are so strict on issues like this when most other Asian countries aren't quite so finicky.

Yep rules are rules, and I'm a real stickler for following them, just ask my wife, I even stop at a 'stop' sign even when I can't see another car.

My experience was a good heads up, blaming the airline for a governments requirements, yep guilty of that, but in my case I still think it came down to the short transit time in Sydney.

I'll be wary about going back to Indonesia, I'll just add it to the LOTFAP, Mexico, the PRC and some others that I have no intention of visiting anytime soon, unless things change.

Some on here may find things like this humourous and like to laugh at others misfortunes, so be it, really just sums them up as to what sort of people they really are, imo. What goes around, comes around.

I learnt a good lesson, so I ended up being out of pocket by about $500, after my travel insurance paid out my non refundables excluding the cost of a new passport and an excess.

Honestly it's only money, it doesn't mean that much to me and you can't take it with you.
I did however get to go back to one of my favourite rallies in Finland which I hadn't intended to do on this trip. So I lost the Midnight Sun Rally in Sweden, but gained Rally Finland

I'm lucky in that I can make plans and change them at a drop of a hat, already thinking of cancelling Sweden next Feb. and revisiting Myanmar, but who knows L.E. may throw up a 5* escape to somewhere we haven't been. Unlike some on here like to think, some of their deals are actually at 5* places.

 

[moa999]

Hopefully, her being a notable person wil get the message out, perhaps even an official reply from the embassy as to why they are so strict on issues like this when most other Asian countries aren't quite so finicky.

Other than her attack on Jetstar - repeated by the bulk of replies to the tweet
Jetstar staff possibly saved her from a night in immigration detention or immediate return.

As well as big $s for Jetstar

 

[DC3]

I'm shocked she was flying Jetstar! Looking at her passport, it seems to be in way worse condition than mine ...

But ‘stars’ shouldn’t have to put up with rules, especially when flying Jetstar. LOL

Edit: Not a Jetstar Ambassador, I hope.

 

[Cossie]

Other than her attack on Jetstar - repeated by the bulk of replies to the tweet
Jetstar staff possibly saved her from a night in immigration detention or immediate return.

As well as big $s for Jetstar

Fair enough, it's easy to shoot the messenger as they are the ones you are dealing with at the time. Just look at all the rants here on this forum.
I hope someone from Jetstar took her aside and explained things to her in a far better fashion than Qantas did with me.

 

[DC3]

Do many travellers actually research their intended destination to try and discover issues that they are likely to encounter?

You don’t have to read much about Indonesia to discover the passport issue.

 

[Cossie]

Do many travellers actually research their intended destination to try and discover issues that they are likely to encounter?

You don’t have to read much about Indonesia to discover the passport issue.

Rehashing things here, I normally do research, I was unaware of the Indonesian problem, didn't do research for there as I was only going to be there for 6 to 8 hours maximum.

I'm thinking that most people wouldn't give passport issues a second thought, maybe if they are dealing with a travel agent they would be given advice, I tend to do everything online.

I have friends going to Bali for a wedding in Feb next year, I have impressed upon them the importance of having a clean passport and also said they should talk to the wedding party and let them know as well.

I had visas placed in my passport from the Lao and Myanmar embassies here in Canberra earlier this year. Neither had an issue, along with immigration points in Thailand, Finland (EU), Malaysia, Singapore and probably others, if any of these had raised an issue, I would have applied for a new passport.

One person on here thinks it's funny, (it's not you DC3). So be it, the Germans have a good word for that, Schadenfreude.

 

[DC3]

Most us of learn from our mistakes and move on.

Lessons to be learned for all, about passports.

 

[Cossie]

Most us of learn from our mistakes and move on.

Lessons to be learned for all, about passports.

As I have.......................... now off to plan my next adventure.

 

[DC3]

As I have.......................... now off to plan my next adventure.

Cozzie, on reading back over this thread, it seems that you may have taken some of my comments as being criticism of you. However, I hope that this is not the case. The comments were about travellers in general. Please accept my apologies if that is how it seemed. I found this thread and your comments to be very worthwhile.

 

[Cossie]

OK, last thing I'll add to this, (maybe )

Different airline, different outcome for Sam Kerr!

Sam makes it to Bali after Kerr-fuffle

Posted a poolside photo from her Balinese villa, the former Matildas captain “is now enjoying a well deserved break” with some friends.

www.perthnow.com.au

 

[DC3]

OK, last thing I'll add to this, (maybe )

Different airline, different outcome for Sam Kerr! ....

Lucky for her that another airline was prepared to take the risk.

I don’t like the fact that the airline bears the responsibility and can be fined $7,000 by the Indonesian Government over damaged passports.

 

[DC3]

Hope that the flight wasn’t on Garuda (due to it’s association with the Indonesian Government, which is the cause of the passport issue). Maybe another airline?

 

[33kft]

Well I guess that sorts that then.... until the next one...

 

[Deleted member]

Sorry to hear of your story. It is fairly well known now that the Indonesians have been turning back visitors with damaged passports, and I have had enough experience with Indonesian immigration officials, who used to single out the Chinese (as in PRC passports) in our entourage of business travelers and demand they hand over US$100 for entry (this was not visa on demand stuff, this was into the hand of the official stuff), amongst other behaviours I've seen especially in the riau islands (bintan and batam) where payment issues will often occur and be solved by additional payments.

End of the day this can only hurt tourism to Indonesia. I avoid the place outside of work related travel simply because it on the one hand possesses little from a leisure travel perspective that I couldn't get elsewhere in SEA, and also mixes in a whole lot of anti-Australian sentiment, over the top bureaucracy if something goes wrong, and quite ordinary conditions from a traffic, safety and security perspective.

That's enough of a rant, but I did want to point out that the reason for airlines being hands off when it comes to passport issues in Indonesia is a fine (as you mentioned above) levied on each airline which delivers a passenger with a damaged passport. The fine is reportedly US$5,000 per passenger:

Off to Bali? Check your passport for damage first

Bali-bound travellers are being refused entry to Indonesia for using damaged passports, as the Indonesian government strictly enforces its immigration laws, demanding "good" condition passports from tourists.

www.sbs.com.au

Had QF delivered you, they would have been fined this amount. They didn't do the easiest thing for them, they avoided a significant loss on a passenger booking. Sorry but it's hardly QF's policy in effect here.

It’s a pity the Indonesians don’t turn back (clearly) illegal immigrants !

 

[Deleted member]

This all took place on Wednesday. I can certainly raise it with Flight Centre, but I wouldn't expect anything other than "Well, that's the official advice we have ma'am and it's not your obligation to take it" response. I doubt they'd say "my bad, here's a refund for the $600".

That’s why I like my NZ passport, the unused 6 months is added to my new passport and I’m not left out of pocket