Fly Onward - rent a one way ticket

[albatross710]

Saw a link on FB for Fly Onward - https://flyonward.com/en/

They will provide a booking in your name to use as an exit proof when entering a country.

By booking an onward ticket, you need to provide us with your title, full name, date of your desired onward flight, and of course your departure country. The arrival country is optional; leave it blank and we’ll select a random one for you (recommended).

After an order is made, our staff will process the booking with your provided information. An email with your e-ticket (a PDF file) will be sent to you immediately from the airline (not from us). You can print out this ticket. The ticket will come with a “Confirmed” status which means has been paid in full. After that, you can go to the website of the airline, select “Manage My Booking” menu, input your name and booking reference code to see details of your ticket.

Sounds great, right? These tickets are the real deal.

Depending on your booking option, the ticket will last for exactly 24 hours or 48 hours, so all you need to do is make sure you’re arriving at your destination within 24 hours or 48 hours of booking your onward flight with us. The ticket will be automatically canceled after that period. Contact us for a quote if you need a ticket that lasts more than 48 hours.

An innovation, scam or blah?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Saw a link on FB for Fly Onward - https://flyonward.com/en/

They will provide a booking in your name to use as an exit proof when entering a country.


An innovation, scam or blah?

'Confirmed' but not ticketed. Depends on the country you wish to use it for I guess. If somewhere like China it has a good chance of not working (immigration will look for a ticket number, and sometimes even call the operating airline to check the status of the reservation).

For zones such as Europe - they may or may not check anyway, and the 'confirmation' is probably just fine.

 

[Mattg]

Interesting concept, but I don't see how they can legally provide a service designed to evade immigration controls. I certainly won't be using them.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

If you need to fake a ticket you are probably committing immigration fraud in the relevant country.

 

[harvyk]

Yeah, I wouldn't be using such a service as no doubt this is the exact sort of thing Immi around the world would look for, and Immi officers could potentially use a "ticket" issued by this company as proof you have no intention of abiding by your visa conditions (since valid onward ticket is a condition, and if you cancel the argument could then be that you are no longer abiding by visa conditions).

This is the exact sort of thing which would get that big red stamp (physical or virtual) in your passport which states you were refused entry.

 

[moa999]

Suspect they are just charging a fat fee for booking a fully cancelable ticket, then cancelling it... Wouldn't surprise me if authorities work out which agent that are using pretty quickly

 

[harvyk]

Suspect they are just charging a fat fee for booking a fully cancelable ticket, then cancelling it... Wouldn't surprise me if authorities work out which agent that are using pretty quickly

They claim they do the service for $10 per "booking".

 

[JohnK]

Sounds like frayd. Wouldn't want to be associated with anyone offering this service.

Quite happy to continue booking my own travel as required.

 

[Pleb Status]

A few trips to Villawood (or similar) should shut this down quite quickly I think.

I cannot see how it is actually legal to offer the service....

 

[MEL_Traveller]

A few trips to Villawood (or similar) should shut this down quite quickly I think.

I cannot see how it is actually legal to offer the service....

I can't see it being 'illegal'?

I can see uses for something like this. Cast your mind back to the Lifemiles 'error' routings - where you could fly AU-Europe-Africa for cheaper than AU-Europe. Problem that the final destination in Africa required proof of onward travel to allow transit, or a visa if terminating. So you 'rent a ticket' to allow boarding in Australia. There is no intention to commit immigration fraud, nothing illegal.

Other time you might want to enter Europe and buy your ticket there for your return (to take advantage of the super low business class fares ex Europe). Rent a ticket allows you to board hassle free in Australia.

 

[albatross710]

I didn't start the discussion with the intention of implying immigration fraud. A person entering on any other ticket could always cancel their ticket the day after as well ie cancel the return portion of their ticket - to me no different.

Presumably it is an actual ticket on which the name can be changed. The rental option just means it will cancel at 24 or 48 hours.
(As well as renting there is probably a convert-to-buy option so that if you need the tix it is available to use.)

Quite often when I'm travelling to Philippines I'm wishing I could re-route my homeward trip via HKG or SIN due to some business requirements which i become aware of when I'm already in the country. There are always seats on Cebu Pacific or Air ASia, I have no intention of overstaying my visa etc Rebooking & rerouting always incurs fees, often exceeding the tix value.

This rental option seems to be a way to legitimately meet the airline and immigration requirements and then have the flexibility.

Would be interesting if we hear from anyone having used it.

Alby

 

[nickfromeastryde]

My son had the same problem when we booked him one way to Colombia via LA on an award booking. QFF checkin advised that we would have a problem in LA so wouldn't be letting him board. Sent us down to the flight centre office where they issued us with a paper return ticket which was cancelled before we even left the office. Told us that they did this for flyers almost every day and from memory charged us $120 for the privilege. No problems at the other end, seems a paper ticket all that is required, I can't believe it is not monitored online but apparently not

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

I can't see it being 'illegal'?

I can see uses for something like this. Cast your mind back to the Lifemiles 'error' routings - where you could fly AU-Europe-Africa for cheaper than AU-Europe. Problem that the final destination in Africa required proof of onward travel to allow transit, or a visa if terminating. So you 'rent a ticket' to allow boarding in Australia. There is no intention to commit immigration fraud, nothing illegal.

Other time you might want to enter Europe and buy your ticket there for your return (to take advantage of the super low business class fares ex Europe). Rent a ticket allows you to board hassle free in Australia.

Since when do you have to be in Europe to buy a ticket ex-Europe? This is 2016.

I still say this service enables immigration fraud, just as the flight centre exercise does in the more recent post.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

I didn't start the discussion with the intention of implying immigration fraud. A person entering on any other ticket could always cancel their ticket the day after as well ie cancel the return portion of their ticket - to me no different.

Presumably it is an actual ticket on which the name can be changed. The rental option just means it will cancel at 24 or 48 hours.
(As well as renting there is probably a convert-to-buy option so that if you need the tix it is available to use.)

Quite often when I'm travelling to Philippines I'm wishing I could re-route my homeward trip via HKG or SIN due to some business requirements which i become aware of when I'm already in the country. There are always seats on Cebu Pacific or Air ASia, I have no intention of overstaying my visa etc Rebooking & rerouting always incurs fees, often exceeding the tix value.

This rental option seems to be a way to legitimately meet the airline and immigration requirements and then have the flexibility.

Would be interesting if we hear from anyone having used it.

Alby

By cancelling your return ticket you have most likely breached your visa conditions which state you must hold a ticket for the return journey.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Since when do you have to be in Europe to buy a ticket ex-Europe? This is 2016.

You don't (have to be in Europe to buy an ex Europe fare).

But fares ex Europe vary day by day and city by city. You may not want to purchase your fare now for return travel in two/three/four months time, but rather take a bargain once you are there.

 

[harvyk]

By cancelling your return ticket you have most likely breached your visa conditions which state you must hold a ticket for the return journey.

Agreed, whilst you may technical be "legal" at the border, the second your ticket expires you may find that your visa (or entry permit) is no longer valid.

Even if they don't reject you at the border it might make life very interesting if you have any contact with an official (eg police to report a crime) while you're there.

 

[albatross710]

Just to try and focus on this, does anyone have specific first hand experience of using Fly Onward or specific first hand experience of having had their Visa cancelled after they have entered a country?

For the $10 I think I'll rent one just for the fun of it I'll choose my arrival date into MNL. I don't need it for the entry VISA, but I would like to go to that airlines counter and see if I can board with it.

Alby

 

[moa999]

. QFF checkin advised that we would have a problem in LA so wouldn't be letting him board. Sent us down to the flight centre office where they issued us with a paper return ticket which was cancelled before we even left the office. Told us that they did this for flyers almost every day and from memory charged us $120 for the privilege.t

Interesting given that if immediately cancelled you could still have a problem in LA which would mean QF gets a large fine.

This service at least means you have a valid ticket when you land, even if it is cancelled a few days later

 

[dajop]

Just to try and focus on this, does anyone have specific first hand experience of using Fly Onward or specific first hand experience of having had their Visa cancelled after they have entered a country?

For the $10 I think I'll rent one just for the fun of it I'll choose my arrival date into MNL. I don't need it for the entry VISA, but I would like to go to that airlines counter and see if I can board with it.

I don't know why anyone would bother paying $10 for it. If choosing the path of "immigration fraud" (to quote others) why not just doctor your own e-ticket receipt to suit your own purposes?

I'll confess to having done this to get on a plane to Singapore (before moving here) by presenting a slightly altered itinerary (removed the word waitlist), because I hadn't yet booked the return (waitlisting for J award). Also have done so since moving here because it was easier to show a fake itinerary out of Singapore to check in agents in far away places than spending 20 minutes convincing them that the employment pass I was carrying entitled me to live in the country (as well as being able to be employed in the country).

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

I don't know why anyone would bother paying $10 for it. If choosing the path of "immigration fraud" (to quote others) why not just doctor your own e-ticket receipt to suit your own purposes?

I'll confess to having done this to get on a plane to Singapore (before moving here) by presenting a slightly altered itinerary (removed the word waitlist), because I hadn't yet booked the return (waitlisting for J award). Also have done so since moving here because it was easier to show a fake itinerary out of Singapore to check in agents in far away places than spending 20 minutes convincing them that the employment pass I was carrying entitled me to live in the country (as well as being able to be employed in the country).

Because doctoring an eticket takes fraud to a whole new level. I'm sure the Australian and Singaporean authorities would be very interested to learn about doctoring of eTickets.