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Hi
I am planning a trip to California next year hoping to fly London to Los Angeles then San Diego to London. I will be using a companion voucher and as I was hoping to book Club World seats my plan was to book the outbound as soon as it’s available then ring up to add the return when thats available as I won’t have enough avios to book the return online.
I have however read a Facebook post this morning from someone who had done this but had problems checking in for their outbound flight as BA couldn’t see they had a return flight which they needed evidence of due to Esta/immigration rules. I understand they managed to get it sorted in the end but it took a while.
I just wondered if this was a common issue when flying to the US and booking the outbound and return flights separately and if there is anything I can do to avoid problems at the airport?
I beleive there is usually fairly good availability of reward seats to LA so maybe I dont need to book each leg separately.
BA need to be satisfied that you have a return / onward ticket, so take a print out in case they ask to see it. Shouldn’t be a problem though. I’ve done several one ways into the US, returning either by sea or from Canada. (I’ve never been asked for proof, just been asked at the gate about how I will be returning, but they are entitled to ask for proof, and may have tightened up since the last time I did this.)
I don’t understand the question. You plan to call BA to add the return flight to your companion voucher booking once it becomes available to book. So both flights will be on the same ticket, which BA will know about. What’s the problem?
You will be fine, went to the US and left on a cruise to Canada and no issue at all with esta.
Maybe I am misunderstanding but I thought each leg of the flight would be treated as a separate booking. Something about having separate PNR numbers for each leg. But if it is actually just treated as a normal return flight then great.
Good to know it shouldn’t be an issue either way.
Thank you
A valid esta allows you to board a plane to the US period.
The airline has no business asking if you have a return. An esta also doesn’t guarantee you’ll be admitted at US immigration.
Whether you buy two one way tickets, or just a one way and buy a flight to leave the US to somewhere else in the future is irrelevant
The only person who has any say is the immigration agent you face and whether they think you’re safe to admit, have funds to support yourself and don’t intend to overstay the period that is permitted
p.s you don’t even need an esta at the point of purchasing your ticket. You apply for it a few days before you fly and it’s valid for 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner
Maybe I am misunderstanding but I thought each leg of the flight would be treated as a separate booking. Something about having separate PNR numbers for each leg. But if it is actually just treated as a normal return flight then great.
Good to know it shouldn’t be an issue either way.
Thank you
If you use a 2-4-1 as per your first post you will have two separate bookings. There is no merging etc.
Airlines can ask if you have a return booking as part of their checks before boarding your flight to the US. So you just show the check-in agent the details of the later flight leaving the US.
Day in day put people do this sort of thing because they may be flying in and leaving on a cruise or flying in using one airline and back on another and so on.
Just print out the reservation for your return flight and you’ll be fine. And if the check in agent asks you about it, please don’t tell them they have no business asking you. If you bypass the check in, they might even call you at the gate to check.
Thank you all so much. I already have my Esta in place and will take a print out of the return flight booking as suggested just in case the check in staff can’t see it on their systems for some reason
I’ve flown in and out of the US many times on separate tickets/different airlines and never had any issues, or even been asked what my onward plans were (but do keep travel docs accessible just in case).
There can be various reasons for not being able to check in online, including BA’s flaky IT and getting flagged for extra screening (which is nothing dramatic), so even that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have any problems with your trip.
There are several countries (some in South America) where it is mandatory to have an onward ticket and the airlines will not let you board without showing proof of departure
The US is not one of those, certainly not if you have a British passport and esta. If you’re traveling on a passport from another country then it may be different.
We did this last year I did get asked at the border for my return ticket but was on the BA app so no problem to show them . . That was the end of the questions and we were in.
Reservation in the BA app was also fine for me late May this year.
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