PIA not permitted Lahore-NY non-stop flight

[Max]

PIA not permitted Lahore-NY non-stop flight

BY AMRAIZ KHAN
LAHORE - The US Homeland Security, expressing its security concerns, has not permitted PIA to bring its nonstop flight to New York, sources in the airline confided to The Nation here on Thursday.
PIA flight Pk-711 is scheduled to fly to New York non-stop today. It is interesting to note that the route of PIA flight PK-721 leaving Lahore for New York last Sunday was changed at the eleventh hour due to unknown reasons.
A delegation comprising officials from US main security agencies including Home Land Security and Traffic Safety Authority visited Pakistan recently and expressed their security concerns over the prevalent security measures at various International Airports.
The US security officials termed the security environment at Karachi and Islamabad Airports as worst where they believed that many influentials got away without security search and checks. They also said in the report that there were many entrance points on these airports. However, the security arrangements at Allama Iqbal International Airport have been found close to satisfaction, sources added.
It is interesting to note that PIA announced its flight to New York without prior permission from the host country. According to rules every airline was bound to seek prior permission to change the route from the country concerned.
As per Immigration laws, Pakistanis travelling to US on transit flight and holding green cards issued before 1998 were required to get transit visa from UK Embassy in Pakistan, which required a week to get transit visa. Since PIA was repeatedly asking its passengers through press that PIA flight was operating non stop from Pakistan to New York it meant the said passengers were not required to get transit visa.
Now as the US authorities have refused to allow the PIA to bring its flight direct to New York those possessing green cards would have to manage their transit visas which was not possible for them to manage within limited time. Ultimately they would be off loaded at the Lahore Airport, sources maintained.
A citizen Amir while making a telephone call to The Nation said that his brother was travelling to New York but he did not even bother to get transit visa as PIA was announcing repeatedly that the flight was non stop but now certain other sources had revealed that the flight was transit.
A senior official of PIA said PIA staff at Lahore and Manchester would facilitate seeking anonymity that the passengers missing transit visa
While giving his version a senior official of PIA management said that there was no need to worry for passenger as transit visa was not required for the transit flight.
He was confident about the operation of non-stop flights for New York and maintained that US authorities had not refused to non-stop flight to New York and meeting in this regard was underway with them, today the meeting would be concluded.


http://nation.com.pk/daily/mar-2006/31/index9.php

[behramjee]

PIA can fly nonstop USA-PAK but not PAK-USA.

The U.S. Govt is very correct in saying that influencial people get away from security checks at all three Pakistani airports. I've seen it myself especially when it comes to the initial baggage customs check upon entering the airport's international terminal.

Yes it is a big hassle when the Pak Customs officials open your bags and go through everything and leave it in a mess then for you to sort out but what to do we are unfortunately a country with a very small minority of mischief makers who have given us a bad name hence these checks are felt warranted.

Now instead of wasting time and money by having a technical stopover in Manchester, why cant they resort to what they did in the mid 1990s by making the flight stop at a cheaper airport such as SNN-Shannon, Ireland. It will help curtail the operational expenses of the flight as SNN is way cheaper than MAN for tech stops!!! Plus U.S. security will allow the SNN stopover as PIA used to fly via this city to JFK in the 90s.

[smarties]

because they can take passengers from LHE to Manchester. They don't take pax from PAK to SNN. BTW the SNN stop was in the late 1990's, not mid 1990's.

[behramjee]

because they can take passengers from LHE to Manchester.

you arent getting my point...if the plane stops at MAN then as the article points out those pax holding GREEN CARDS issued before 1998 need a transit visa for MAN transit which is very inconveient.

the whole point of this NONSTOP flight is to provide a hassle/tension free flight free of needing any transit visas which take 7 days to obtain. SNN would not make the PIA pax need a transit visa!

yes they would take pax LHE-MAN but then again thats not the purpose of this flight!

[smarties]

because they can take passengers from LHE to Manchester.

you arent getting my point...if the plane stops at MAN then as the article points out those pax holding GREEN CARDS issued before 1998 need a transit visa for MAN transit which is very inconveient.

the whole point of this NONSTOP flight is to provide a hassle/tension free flight free of needing any transit visas which take 7 days to obtain. SNN would not make the PIA pax need a transit visa!

yes they would take pax LHE-MAN but then again thats not the purpose of this flight!

Do they (thepax) need a transit visa even if the plane is making a stop en-route???? what if they don't get off the plane at MAN?

[SalamPaks]

Bugger!

[Junaid]

Pax need a visa even if they do not get off the plane. This requirement is only for passengers with U.S green cards issued before April 21, 1998 and Canadian permanent resident cards issued before 2002. Passengers with valid immigrant and non-immigrant US and Canadian visas do not need a UK transit visa.

[behramjee]

Do they (thepax) need a transit visa even if the plane is making a stop en-route???? what if they don't get off the plane at MAN?

When I flew KU every year KHI-ORD from 2001-04, I needed a dam EU transit visa for AMS even though we were sitting in the plane at AMS for 1 hr 15 minutes!!! Quite irritating yet had to be gotten!!!

So to answer your question for MAN and PIA...yes even to sit in the plane you need a transit visa.

[SENIOR]

Has anyone on the forum actually flown via MAN either to the US or back to PAK ?
Does everyone realise that there is no single authority at MAN that checks for a transit visa !!
Even though the UK Department For Transport (DFT) requires all transit pax to disembark at MAN regardless of who you are or what you are for security screening including all carry-on baggage. This is especially the case if the flight is going to the US. DFT officers regulalrly do random checks at MAN to ensure this is carried out with the help of MAN airport security who will enforce this to the extent that no pax will be allowed to re-board until every single pax is off the aircraft.
Any lapse in this area will result in a written notice or fine to the airline.
However passports are checked by security staff whilst re-boarding of US bound flights only to check the validity of the US entry and NOT for transit visas.

[SalamPaks]

Has anyone on the forum actually flown via MAN either to the US or back to PAK ?
Does everyone realise that there is no single authority at MAN that checks for a transit visa !!
Even though the UK Department For Transport (DFT) requires all transit pax to disembark at MAN regardless of who you are or what you are for security screening including all carry-on baggage. This is especially the case if the flight is going to the US. DFT officers regulalrly do random checks at MAN to ensure this is carried out with the help of MAN airport security who will enforce this to the extent that no pax will be allowed to re-board until every single pax is off the aircraft.
Any lapse in this area will result in a written notice or fine to the airline.
However passports are checked by security staff whilst re-boarding of US bound flights only to check the validity of the US entry and NOT for transit visas.

Senior,

It is just as well that no one checks for transit visas at MAN because you'd be paying fines all morning, every morning!!!

Some observations which should scare you but probably will not surprise you...

I am British passport holder, yet Check-in agents at KHI have twice tried to offload me from ORD/IAH flights via MAN, stating that I will need to get a British transit visa before being allowed to fly!

I have watched a PIA exec manager allow a family of Pakistani nationals to board a flight via MAN without a transit visa, telling them to remain on the plane at MAN to avoid problems! This was one of the dodgiest maneuvres I have ever seen while leaving Pakistan because he accompanied the family through each exit check and seemed to get them through each one with ease!

A number of passengers remain on board the aircraft at MAN mainly because they want to avoid standing in line for security screening, climbing the stairs, then standing in line to reboard (I am guilty of this too).

[Max]

It is interesting to note that PIA announced its flight to New York without prior permission from the host country. According to rules every airline was bound to seek prior permission to change the route from the country concerned.

wow! Can this be true.

[umar744]

my dearest all friend
salam hello
yes right PK7272, PK7232, PK7112 stopover Manchester BUT
today my friend Capt.Imran invited me fly PK7112 tomorrow saturday 1st april MAN-JFK and i cannot fly because my wife has no holiday no off work day because her boss is holiday will be back next week and i apologised capt.imran then he invited me another flight PK7232. today i went to PIA London Booking ticket office to book my name list on staff for PK7232 on thursday 27th April 2006. They showed me see computer printed PK7232 KHI-ISB-JFK NOT stopover Manchester. I fax it to Capt.Imran and PIA manchester surprised. PIA roster said still stopover Manchester but PIA schedule still nonstop. it confused. i would be grateful to you, can you help me. can you please check and find out PK7232 will fly stopover manchester or will nonstop direct on Thursday 27th April and please let me know because i have been applied staff ticket and my wife book holiday two days off thursday 27th april and friday 28th april to look after our daughter (baby)while i away and back to london on friday 28th april.
please reply soon.
best wishes
love
umar

[behramjee]

Departure Arrival
Airport: LHE New York (Kennedy), NY
Scheduled Time: 7:25 AM, Apr 01 1:00 PM, Apr 01
Actual Time: Not Available Not Available
Status: Cancelled
Please contact the airline for additional information.
Equipment: 777

Todays PK 711 which was supposed to fly LHE-JFK nonstop seems to have been cancelled according to JFK's Airport Website.

[Adnan Anwar]

Alright, If the YANKEES have a problem with PIA flying into USA.

What is there problems with flying from USA to Pakistan. PIA can and should be able to fly from JFK or ORD(whatever) to Pakistani destinations.

Comes on YANKs stop your paranoya for you own christ sake

[smarties]

children, flight PK711 is operating as PK7112 today via MAN according to my source.