Now that my wife (almost) has her visa, we send off her passport via LBC within the next day or so. We are looking at flights from Manila to Manchester.. Has anyone bought a flight from the Philippines to the UK for their wife or other relative and did that person get questioned about it at the check in desk? Just curious...
I did exactly that - KLM to Manchester from Manila, for my wife. It was a little cheaper than a return ticket. She encountered no issues with the ticket along the way. I flew to Amsterdam to meet her. And flew into the UK with her.
Reckon we will be going with Etihad. I did the KLM thing last year and hated the return trip via Taiwan, just for the sheer time it took on one flight. With Etihad and Qatar, I like the stopover half way to stretch the legs. Not to mention the few hundred quid cheaper bit.....
If you are in a "frequent flyer" scheme, this is a good time to spend your airmiles. One way flights cost half the price of a return with (KLM Flying Blue) miles!
Any time I've looked, one way flights on most airlines were only a tiny bit cheaper than a return but I know that some of them will offer flights at close to half price, you just have to look hard Sean. Dave, I don't think Sean is a member of a frequent flyer scheme but your point is a good one, my miles are being saved partly for exactly this purpose, one-ways are a genuine half price. One additional benefit is that tax out of Manila is a lot lower than tax out of the UK so the 'cost' of the free 'miles' flight will be much lower.
One tip, most airline sites will have a country of origin selector by that I mean the top level selector not the usual From - To bit, if for example you were on KLM then selecting KLM Philippines might get you different pricing than you would get on KLM UK. You also need to remember that you will probably need to supply a photocopy of both sides of the card that you used for the ticket purchase (and possibly a photocopy of your passport) to Joy as the girl at check-in may well ask for that.
I was thinking of getting it with the pre paid card I left with Joy in the Philippines? It doesn't have a name on it, so she could just show it to the check in desk. The only downside being waiting for the money to complete transfer and stuff...
I bought my wife's flight through an agent, to ensure there were no complications at her check in. I had looked at Etihad as they were indeed cheaper than KLM for a single but I went specifically for KLM for a range of reasons. However, at that time the flight was direct to Amsterdam i.e. it was just a one stop flight to Manchester back then.
I must admit that I hated the transit at Taipei too, it's a complete waste of time and pain the backside but at least I got two dinners on the way back as a result (they fed us on both flights) In practice it does not add a huge amount of time to the trip and I managed to sleep 8 hours on the Taipei to Amsterdam leg. For me I would still like my Ana to fly into Amsterdam and like you John I would go out to meet her, so much easier when the two of you are coming through immigration together. Sean there might still be issues if the ticket is paid with an anonymous card although I suppose they would look for the matching last 4 digits so you might be alright.
I think it depends a bit on the spouse. Mine wanted me to fly to Manila and travel to the UK with her! Besides, I couldn't get the time off work for that as I had used all my leave vsiting the Philippines earlier in the year and it would have been soooo much more expensive. So meeting her in Amsterdam was a compromise.
Right now, KLM just won't work. The price difference is about £300! There really isn't a way to justify that when the same money would easily be spent on winter clothes Joy will need upon arrival. Etihad is my current choice, mainly because of Abu Dhabi airport! It's so much easier to get in and out without getting lost. Plus the free wifi for Joys iphone 5 should come in handy given the stop over being about 3 hours.. She'll easily pass the time Facebooking her friends and family - so long as it isn't blocked like it was on the terminals when I went there...
Is it possible to book a flight using a prepaid cash card with no name on it? I suspect not, especially booking online.
I suspect you are correct regards online booking as you would never get past the validation checks, all the card processors have the name as a mandatory field. One can certainly book airline flights on prepaid cards though, I do it all the time.
I might just book it with my debit card as soon as my salary gets paid, then send Joy a scanned copy of my card. She has my passport (copy), birth certificate as well as our marriage certificate and she will be carrying them all in her carry on luggage. So I guess that would be the easiest option. As for the prepaid mastercard, I will still put some money on it in case she wants to get a snack or a drink or something in Abu Dhabi
Yes, this was something I wish I had done; left my wife with a prepaid mastercard. I didnt think of it till I was back in the UK.
We booked an Etihad one-way flight for myself and my son last year and I did not have any problems at all coming in. The only problem I can see that will be a bother is the type of visa she is coming in with. If she is coming in with a spouse visa anyway then no problem at all. We have always flown with Etihad coming to the UK and it is, in my opinion, the best airline to go with for longer flights as the seats are comfortable and the flight attendants are very helpful.
If you get the ticket directly from the carrier's office in Manchester, they will authomatically authorise it. No need to show any proof at point of embarkation. We did it with Qatar and it worked a treat. (mind you scanned copy of passport and card used was also sent... Just in case...)
