Air France denied boarding to my family by mistake. Can you help?

Ramon Ymalay, his wife and his daughter had ambitious plans over the holidays last December. They redeemed 487,750 frequent flyer miles for flights on multiple airlines, including Air France, for a round-the-world adventure. They aimed to visit all 12 Disney parks across the globe in just two weeks.

 For the first two legs of the international part of their journey, they cashed in 261,500 Flying Blue miles for business-class seats on Air France. They would fly from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). After visiting Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios in Paris, they would fly to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) in China to visit Shanghai Disneyland.

That’s what would have happened … if Air France hadn’t denied boarding to the family in Miami. 

Air France quickly put the brakes on the family’s Disney mission

The Ymalays only got as far as the airport check-in counter before their entire mission faced failure. There, Air France agents insisted that to enter China, they needed visas. 

Ymalay says he pleaded with airline agents and supervisors to allow his family on the flight. He pointed out that U.S. citizens can visit China for up to 240 hours without a visa. But the Air France agents remained unconvinced.

After two hours of unproductive discussion and begging for reconsideration, time ran out. The flight closed and left for France, leaving the disappointed family behind.

The good news is that after last-minute scrambling, the Ymalays confirmed alternative flight arrangements. That was no easy task, given it was just days before Christmas. 

But in the end, the family completed their mission without the Chinese visas the airline claimed they needed. 

When they returned from the trip, Ymalay brought his complaint to TPG. 

Confident in his travel planning skills, he hoped we could help convince Air France that it had made a mistake by denying his family boarding. He also wanted compensation for the unexpected expenses the airline’s error had caused him to incur.

However, Air France did not waver in its stance that the family’s itinerary didn’t qualify for China’s 240-hour visa-free visitor program.

So, who was right? That’s what TPG aimed to find out. 

Carefully planning a round-the-world trip using points

Last summer, Ymalay, who runs The Small World Family blog with his wife, told his followers about the family’s plans for their daughter’s Christmas break. He was spending an immense amount of time studying potential routes, points programs and redemption options, and then blogging about it. 

After much effort, Ymalay was satisfied with the itinerary, and everything was finally booked. He was exhausted but exhilarated. 

“The total for all our airfare, which included lie-flat business-class seats when available, was 487,750 miles and $7,000,” Ymalay told me. “That included nine business-class flights and two regional jets with no business class for three passengers.”   

The journey began at the four Disney parks in Orlando. In what can only be described as a whirlwind trip, the family Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’d through all the parks in just one day. 

Next, the Ymalays made their way to Miami, where the international portion of the adventure would begin. 

And that’s where Air France threw a wrench in all of Ymalay’s carefully laid plans.

Air France: Where is your visa for China?

When they walked up to the Air France check-in counter at MIA, the Ymalays had no inkling of what was about to happen. 

Ymalay had thoroughly researched the 240-hour visa-free entry rules for U.S. visitors to China. 

He had cross-referenced information on the Chinese Embassy’s website, the U.S. Department of State’s website and the information about the visa-free visitor policy available on TPG. He was sure his family’s short 40-hour jaunt through China to visit Shanghai Disneyland didn’t require a visa. 

So when he handed over his family’s passports and the Air France agent asked where their Chinese visas were, it surprised him.

“I told the Air France agent that we were just passing through China on our way to Hong Kong,” Ymalay explained. “[The Air France agent] seemed to not know about the 240-hour visa-free tourist program.”

Ymalay didn’t panic. After all, he thought, surely an Air France supervisor would be familiar with the requirements for entry to China. So he asked to speak to the agent’s supervisor. 

To his shock, the senior Air France representative who came to help also seemed unfamiliar with the visa-free rules. 

“I showed the Air France team our flight reservations, proving we intended to leave China after just a few days. Our only destination in China was Shanghai Disneyland. Then, we were flying on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. But they kept insisting we needed visas to enter China.”

Making last-minute alterations to this global adventure

After the Air France flight left for Paris, and with little time left to get their trip back on track, Ymalay sat down with his computer and quickly got to work. He needed to make new flight arrangements and rearrange their hotel reservations for various cities around the world. 

“We ended up using 270k miles to get us from MIA to [London’s Heathrow Airport] LHR on Virgin Upper Class on December 23 and then paid cash to get to CDG on Vueling. I then used 309k Flying Blue miles to get us to [Hong Kong International Airport] HKG on December 28 via Air France business. I was able to reverse our Cathay Pacific flight to fly to Shanghai (instead of out). We would finally arrive in China on December 30th, 6 days after originally planned. And we did not need a Chinese visa.”

The last-minute bookings caused the family to spend more than double the miles they had originally planned to use. They were also forced to pay cancellation and rebooking penalties, but they were relieved that their trip was now back on track. 

The family made their way to a local airport hotel to spend the night, and in the morning, they were on their way to London.

For the next 10 days, the family had a journey that would surely make anyone tired. However, they achieved their goal and touched down in every Disney park worldwide, ending at the Disneyland parks in Anaheim, California, in just one adventurous trip.

With that mission complete, Ymalay turned to his next mission: to get Air France to admit its mistake. The airline had caused a significant hiccup in their plans, costing them a lot of money.

Air France denied boarding to the family — here’s why

China’s 240-hour visa-free visitor policy allows citizens of specific countries, including the United States, to enter China without a visa for up to 10 days, provided they meet the conditions detailed on the Chinese Embassy’s website. 

1. The traveler must enter through one of China’s 60 approved entry points.

2. Visitors must agree to stay within approved areas. This policy doesn’t allow travelers to roam free in China.

3. The applicant must hold “an interline passenger ticket or other document with a specific date and seat assignment” showing proof of intention to leave China within 240 hours. 

The quote above is from the Chinese Embassy website, and that little blurb is what caused Air France to deny the Ymalays boarding.

Ymalay purchased his family’s tickets to China as a one-way journey on Air France. Separately, he had redeemed 84,000 Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for a flight on Cathay Pacific from Shanghai to Hong Kong International Airport. That was his proof that the family qualified for visa-free entry. 

However, because Cathay Pacific and Air France flights aren’t interlined (partnered in any way), the Miami agents could not automatically confirm the family’s ongoing flights through their systems. 

As far as Air France was concerned, the family had a one-way trip to China, which China does not allow. 

Airlines face significant fines, sometimes as much as $10,000 per traveler, for bringing passengers into countries without the necessary documentation for entry. As a result, carriers tend to be cautious whenever there is any doubt regarding a passenger’s eligibility to fly.

Asking The Points Guy for help

When I received Ymalay’s request for assistance, he had already bombarded Air France with evidence of its mistake for months. To say he was determined is an understatement. In the correspondence he shared with me, Air France rejected his claim no less than four times. 

Then Air France closed his case in its own favor. 

In this case, Air France cannot be faulted for rejecting the Ymalays based on the family’s itinerary by itself. 

However, Ymalay told me he had pleaded with the Air France agents to call Cathay Pacific to confirm their ongoing flight. 

He also showed a digital copy of their flight reservation, which confirmed they were leaving for Hong Kong after just a few days. Under China’s 240-hour visa-free policy, Hong Kong is considered a third-party region. 

Had the Air France agent or supervisor done a little additional checking, they could have reasonably allowed the family to board. 

I got in touch with our executive contact at Air France to find out what their team thought of this family’s experience. 

At the same time, Ymalay continued his determined pursuit of proving Air France had prevented his family from boarding that flight by mistake. He shared with me multiple rejections from Air France.

But then suddenly, Air France had a change of heart.

Suddenly, good news from Air France: We made a mistake

After five rejections from various Air France customer care agents and an announcement that Ymalay’s case was permanently closed, a new set of eyes appeared on the scene from the airline. That Air France “Customer Care” supervisor agreed that the airline made a mistake. 

Ymalay finally received the vindication via email that he was looking for, and compensation as well:

It is disappointing that the support received fell short of our usual high standards. Please be assured that we are not complacent, and your experience and comments have been fed back to the relevant management teams. 

I am pleased to inform you that you are entitled to compensation under the EC Regulation 261/2004. 

You may choose from a cash payment of EUR600 each or vouchers for bookings with Air France, KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic in the value of EUR800 each.” 

Ymalay says he couldn’t be happier: “I had spent a great deal of time researching and planning this trip. This was really about honor and proving I did my due diligence before we took off on this adventure. I appreciate your help. I hope other travelers can learn from our experience.”

Ultimately, the family chose the 800-euro vouchers (currently worth about $894 each). Not surprisingly, this traveling family is currently planning their next adventure and will soon put those vouchers to good use. 

How to lower your chances of getting denied boarding a flight to China

Getting denied boarding a flight is traumatic to travelers, whether it is a result of their own mistake or the airline’s. Ymalay was fortunate that he was able to whip up a substitute plan under pressure on short notice. Most passengers faced with similar circumstances aren’t as lucky. 

Visiting China has never been easier, but there are some things travelers should take into consideration before booking their trip there.  

Book your flight as a round-trip or interlined ticket

The easiest way to make sure your trip to China goes smoothly is by booking a round-trip flight (with one record locator) into and out of one of the approved entry points. Be certain that your flight out of China complies with the 240-hour rule. 

If it is not possible to book your trip with the same airline, your next-best option is to purchase tickets on an interlined carrier. That will allow each airline to be able to access your complete itinerary. 

Remember, you need proof that you intend to leave China within 240 hours, so if your outgoing flight is on an unaffiliated airline, make certain you’ve printed your reservation, which shows your 13-digit ticket number. 

Show up early at the airport

This is especially true if your itinerary is complicated (for instance, one that spans multiple airlines and countries). You’ll want to give yourself a wide buffer to address any confusion about your trip to China.

Stay calm and ask to speak to a supervisor

In most cases, but of course not all, the supervisor on duty will likely be able to prevent a denied boarding mistake by the airline. If you’re being denied boarding your flight, stay calm and ask to speak to the agent’s supervisor. 

Bottom line

Airlines don’t routinely deny boarding to passengers. In fact, it is quite rare. But if you have been denied boarding and you suspect it was the result of an airline’s mistake, send your details to ombudsman@thepointsguy.com. I’ll be happy to investigate and help you, too, if I can. Happy travels!