JohnK said:
I can understand the need to check when a passenger is travelling to a country where a visa is required.
My original statement was about check in agent in SYD asking for proof of return ticket to Australia. I got the impression that she would not have issued boarding pass unless I could provide the proof. This should not concern them. I can stay overseas as long as I like travelling from country to country.
The QF check-in agent could not care less about whether you are planning to return to Australia. That is none of their concern. They are concerned that they will not be fined by the country to which they are delivering you for not meeting their entry requirements. This is not limited to countries that require a Visa. Even if no visa is required. The first thing the check-in agent needs to verify is if a Visa is required. For example, an Australian passport holder may not require a Visa to visit Thailand, but people from some other countries may need a Visa.
The QF check-in agents has to satisfy themselves that you are entitled to entry without a Visa. That check will happen whether you know it or not. And if the country you are travelling to requires some form of proof that you do not intend to overstay your permitted entry time (3 months for may non-Visa countries) then they may also check for known onward travel plans. That has nothing to do with your plans to come back to Australia, but purely you plans to depart the country to which the airline is delivering you. After that it is your problem not the airline's problem.
JohnK said:
I can enter Thailand with Qantas but exit overland through Laos or Cambodia and return with different carrier. I can enter Thailand on a 30 day visa and apply for a retirement visa while I am there but this will be difficult as Thai customs may not allow me into the country. I can return to Greece anytime and live for the remainder of my life.
And the airline on which you depart Australia could not care less about whether you plan to return to Australia or not. As I have pointed out, they are only concerned about your entitlement to enter the country to which they are carrying you.
JohnK said:
In all these situations, and many others, I should not have to explain or prove my intentions to a check in agent in SYD.
You may be required to explain how long you intend to remain in the country to which the airline is delivering you, depending on where you are travelling and what onward travel is known to the check-in agent. They will not be concerned about anything beyond when you plan to depart that country because that is the only part for which the airline is responsible for verifying entitlement and may be liable to a fine if they carry you to a country for which you are not entitled to enter.
JohnK said:
Not necessarily. Most times the check-in agent in SYD can only see my next sector and they have no idea which countries I will be visiting and it should not really be their concern if I will be returning to Australia any time soon.
They are NOT concerned about return to Australia or which other countries you may visit. They are only concerned about being fined for not checking that you are in fact entitled to enter the country to which they are delivering you, and in many cases that means verifying that you intend to depart that country within the timelimits of the permitted entry to that country. For example if your planned departure was 45 days after entry and only 30 days is permitted for non-Visa tourist visits, then they should be seeking clarification from you as to your intended stay duration. It may well be that during those 45 days you intend to leave that country and re-enter so not breaching the entry requirements. They airline needs to be satisfied that the immigration agent processing your entry into that country will in fact allow you in and not refuse your entry an hence fine the airline.
JohnK said:
Anyway I was not trying to be nasty and was only relating my experience. I visited 6 or 7 countries in Europe recently and going through customs was not asked to provide proof of onward travel. Entering the UK and Finland I was asked how long I was staying. Whether I had a ticket for onward travel was irrelevant.
Each country has their own regulations for how long someone can stay. Europe seems to be very lax with any enforcement of limits which I think is due to the open borders between EU countries and the difficulty in enforcing any limits. If the UK agent had any reason to disbelieve your answer, they would be very much entitled to ask to see proof of your verbal response. Just because they have not asked you for proof does not mean they cannot if they think you are at risk of breaching your entry conditions.
JohnK said:
So if customs & immigration in these countries could not care less for proof of onward travel I cannot see why a check in agent in SYD would require proof of return to Australia. It is not the check in agents responsibility to determine when or how I will be returning to Australia. This I would expect would be the concern of the country involved.
As I have said many times here, this has nothing to do with QF wanting to know anything about when you plan to return to Australia. They are ONLY concerned with ensuring they will not be fined for delivering you to a country for which you are not entitled to enter. beyond that is of no concern to the airline. They are not enforcing Australian immigration regulations. They are only protecting themselves from imposition of a fine from the country to which they are delivering you. If they are satisfied you are not going to be refused entry to that country, then they will proceed with the check-in process.
