An Indian couple heading back home hit turbulence at the Auckland airport when they were barred from boarding over what they say were “hidden visa requirements”.
Raksha Vandna from Bay of Plenty used www.booking.com to ger her in-laws a $1,900-flight that she says appeared to be transiting only through Malaysia, news website Stuff has reported.
The catch was, in the fine print the booking mentioned a technical halt in Australia, which requires Indian nationals to procure a transit visa, something the couple did not have.
Vandna says she protested saying she had no inkling of the Australian layover, a crucial detail she claims was buried in the terms and conditions, which she deems misleading.
The airline at the centre of this story, Batik Air, flies between Auckland and Perth six times a week.
Ticketing provider www.booking.com advertised the flight as "direct" with a "technical stop" in Perth coded as "PER", according to Stuff.
The family says they discovered a "technical stop" was the aviation equivalent of a pitstop for refueling, albeit one that stretched for nearly two hours in Perth. Air Batik website did display the layover and even issued a highlighted warning about potential transit visa requirements.
Booking.com has yet to comment on the issue, according to Stuff.
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