Royal Brunei Airlines and LGBTI travellers

[kyle]

Smart Traveller tells couple to ‘act straight’ after concerns over stoning

 

[Denali]

Personally I wouldnt be giving any money to a business or country that practices Sharia law so will be avoiding this airline & country.

For the couple in the article, WTF is "....called Smart Traveller again, requesting an “official policy” from a different adviser.". Dont have gay sex during a 4hr transit in a homophobic country would be my advise. Get to your gate, mind your own business and no displays of affection - which is what my hetro husband and myself do every time we fly (we dont even sit next to each other these days).

I dont know what they expect Smart Traveller to do/say unless they can cancel/get insurance with a change in Smart Traveller advise. Brunei has been telling us since 2014 they (the Sultan) wanted to introduce Sharia law and yet they booked their flight within the last 11mths.

I feel bad for them and a reminder to us how far we (Aust) have come but we need to continue to educate society and not raise homophobic aholes.

 

[amaroo]

Hard to avoid giving money to a business that is owned by a few of these characters.... they own just about everything.

 

[dajop]

Also worth noting that unmarried couples (M/F) face the same sorts of penalties for sexual relations. In Asia, most people assume my partner and I are brothers, so we could pull that off, but unmarried couples probably face just as significant challenges.

As Denali points out, best advice for the couple already booked is it to avoid committing sodomy during their time on board the plane and during the transit in Brunei. And boycott the airline/country in the future.

 

[ozfflyer]

Personally I wouldnt be giving any money to a business or country that practices Sharia law so will be avoiding this airline & country.

For the couple in the article, WTF is "....called Smart Traveller again, requesting an “official policy” from a different adviser.". Dont have gay sex during a 4hr transit in a homophobic country would be my advise. Get to your gate, mind your own business and no displays of affection - which is what my hetro husband and myself do every time we fly (we dont even sit next to each other these days).

I dont know what they expect Smart Traveller to do/say unless they can cancel/get insurance with a change in Smart Traveller advise. Brunei has been telling us since 2014 they (the Sultan) wanted to introduce Sharia law and yet they booked their flight within the last 11mths.

I feel bad for them and a reminder to us how far we (Aust) have come but we need to continue to educate society and not raise homophobic aholes.

aren't all arab/muslim countries the same in this regard ?

 

[ozfflyer]

aren't all arab/muslim countries the same in this regard ?

BTW saw a $599 return airfare yesterday MEL/LHR on RBA for students/under 31s & teachers on STA travel site

 

[Denali]

aren't all arab/muslim countries the same in this regard ?

Not all but a reminder to me to investigate and be more careful with where I spend my $ (ie, I flew Etihad last year)

 

[ozfflyer]

Not all but a reminder to me to investigate and be more careful with where I spend my $ (ie, I flew Etihad last year)

know some gay women had big problem in Dubai when seen kissing/holding hands. Think they got arrested.

 

[dajop]

aren't all arab/muslim countries the same in this regard ?

The penalty is what is different. In many countries imprisonment is the penalty. In the more draconian, such as Brunei as of April 3, it is stoning to death.

 

[ozfflyer]

$599 MEL/LHR/MEL ? What are the govt taxes ? $300 ?

So for something like 45 to 48 hours flying, the airline ends up with something like $300 (less any agents commission, but that can't be much) & they give you 4 or more meals & bags.

What a loss leader !!!!!

& on new 787s the whole way, with relatively good connections at BWN (less than 4 hours max on way over & 45-90 mins on way home), so you don't actually have to enter the country. Might even be same aircraft all the way.

BI won't supply with alcohol, but heard they you can drink your duty free booze on board. They won't touch it, but will supply, glass, mixers & ice apparently.

 

[dajop]

know some gay women had big problem in Dubai when seen kissing/holding hands. Think they got arrested.

Without wanting to defend the Dubai government, any and all travel advice about Dubai suggests restraint from public displays of affection when there - including kissing and holding hands - whether two men, two women or man and woman. There are numerous reports of couples being arrested for such behaviour.

 

[ozfflyer]

Without wanting to defend the Dubai government, any and all travel advice about Dubai suggests restraint from public displays of affection when there - including kissing and holding hands - whether two men, two women or man and woman. There are numerous reports of couples being arrested for such behaviour.

yet another reason to not go anywhere near Dubai.

 

[Danger]

Renewed Boycott Of Dorchester Collection Over Brunei Anti-Gay Laws - One Mile at a Time

 

[Franky]

Personally I wouldnt be giving any money to a business or country that practices Sharia law so will be avoiding this airline & country.

For the couple in the article, WTF is "....called Smart Traveller again, requesting an “official policy” from a different adviser.". Dont have gay sex during a 4hr transit in a homophobic country would be my advise. Get to your gate, mind your own business and no displays of affection - which is what my hetro husband and myself do every time we fly (we dont even sit next to each other these days).

I dont know what they expect Smart Traveller to do/say unless they can cancel/get insurance with a change in Smart Traveller advise. Brunei has been telling us since 2014 they (the Sultan) wanted to introduce Sharia law and yet they booked their flight within the last 11mths.

I feel bad for them and a reminder to us how far we (Aust) have come but we need to continue to educate society and not raise homophobic aholes.

As the LGBTI addendum to the SmartTraveller website says - read the warnings and make your OWN decisions...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Personally I wouldnt be giving any money to a business or country that practices Sharia law so will be avoiding this airline & country.

For the couple in the article, WTF is "....called Smart Traveller again, requesting an “official policy” from a different adviser.". Dont have gay sex during a 4hr transit in a homophobic country would be my advise. Get to your gate, mind your own business and no displays of affection - which is what my hetro husband and myself do every time we fly (we dont even sit next to each other these days).

I dont know what they expect Smart Traveller to do/say unless they can cancel/get insurance with a change in Smart Traveller advise. Brunei has been telling us since 2014 they (the Sultan) wanted to introduce Sharia law and yet they booked their flight within the last 11mths.

I feel bad for them and a reminder to us how far we (Aust) have come but we need to continue to educate society and not raise homophobic aholes.

The law only applies to engaging in homosexual sex. One would hope that all passengers - gay or stright - could refrain from engaing in sex on board or during a short transit. So the advice from Smart Traveller is ahrdly an imposition or discriminatory.

The new laws were annouced four years ago, plenty of time to choose another carrier if this was a matter of principle.

 

[jase05]

BI won't supply with alcohol, but heard they you can drink your duty free booze on board. They won't touch it, but will supply, glass, mixers & ice apparently.

Only on the first leg. In transit through BWN your alcohol will be confiscated.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Only on the first leg. In transit through BWN your alcohol will be confiscated.

I guess you could decant the alcohol into 100ml containers. Enough for two or three drinks.

 

[amaroo]

Hotel Bel-Air is a classic - I won't be joining the boycott.

 

[Catweazle]

BTW saw a $599 return airfare yesterday MEL/LHR on RBA for students/under 31s & teachers on STA travel site

Who does the flight from BWN to RBA? Didn't know they flew that route. News to me, hah!

 

[AIRwin]

Who does the flight from BWN to RBA? Didn't know they flew that route. News to me, hah!

RBA = Royal Brunei Airlines in this context, not Rabat