Pakistani passengers on visit visas traveling abroad, especially to Dubai, Bangkok, or Malaysia, must now hold a Same Airline Return Ticket for their round-trip journeys. This new regulation has been implemented to avoid issues that have arisen from travelers holding separate tickets with different airlines.
The authorities aim to ensure a smoother travel experience, reduce the exploitation of passengers by certain travel agents, and address issues faced by “low profile” travelers.
According to correspondence between the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), it was found that numerous passengers had been denied boarding or faced complications when their tickets were not with the same airline return ticket.
The authorities highlighted that incidents had occurred where passengers booked separate tickets with different airlines or had different PNR numbers, which caused them to face additional scrutiny at airports, especially those deemed as “low profile.” These passengers often ended up being refused entry or deported when their itineraries did not align with border control regulations.
In these cases, travel agents would sometimes exploit passengers by refunding the same airline return ticket and booking alternative return flights with a different airline. As a result, passengers were left stranded or forced to pay the airline again for a return flight, even though they had already paid the full fare to the travel agent. This not only caused financial distress but also increased the risk of exploitation, especially for less experienced travelers.
The FIA has emphasized that, moving forward, boarding passes will only be issued to passengers holding a same airline return ticket, which is aimed at protecting passengers’ rights and curbing unethical practices by certain travel agents. Additionally, this new regulation ensures that passengers will not face problems at the destination’s border control due to booking irregularities.
A CAA letter further explained that this new policy would apply to airlines flying to countries that have a requirement for a same airline return ticket as part of their border control regime, such as Dubai, Malaysia, and Thailand. Airlines that fly to destinations without this requirement will continue to operate under their existing ticketing policies. However, all domestic and international airlines have been informed about this new directive to ensure uniformity and awareness.
The CAA and FIA are working together to ensure that all airlines comply with this new rule, and both agencies have issued letters to all domestic and foreign airlines about this change. This measure is expected to significantly reduce the incidents of passenger exploitation, especially for travelers who may not be aware of such travel complexities.
The requirement for a same airline return ticket is seen as a crucial step in safeguarding passenger welfare, providing smoother and more reliable travel experiences, and ensuring compliance with international travel regulations.
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