A Korean-American mother and daughter planning to travel to the United States for the holidays were reportedly denied check-in due to incorrect information regarding a visa provided by an airline agent and ended up paying a hefty fine.
Later realizing that the employee’s information was incorrect, the mother and daughter complained to the airline, but the airline insisted that “it never happened,” according to the family travelers.
Oh, a 48-year-old U.S. citizen, was scheduled to fly to New Jersey with her 74-year-old Korean national mother, Lim, on Air Premia flight YP131 from South Korea, departing at 9:50 p.m. on December 11.
However, when the mother and daughter tried to check in at the airport check-in counter, the airport counter staff told Oh that her mother, Lim, did not have an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and could not board the flight.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ESTA is an electronic travel authorization required for citizens of the 36 Visa Waiver Agreement countries, including South Korea, for visa-free travel to the U.S. Once approved, they can stay in the U.S. for 90 days. Valid visa holders do not have to apply for ESTA.
“My mom holds a 10-year tourist visa and has traveled to the U.S. multiple times without being asked for an ESTA. However, the counter agent incorrectly claimed that the law requiring ESTA had changed. and you don’t know that,'” Oh said.
Then the airline employee reportedly told Oh that her mother’s ticket would be canceled if she didn’t change her flight date on the website at least one hour before boarding. Oh quickly took out her iPad and changed their reservations to a date four days later, on the 15th. Oh says she had to pay about 1 million won (roughly $773) in fees and the difference in the ticket price just to get home.
However, Oh found on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other websites a policy that states that people with appropriate visas do not need to apply for ESTA.
“I was so stunned that I sent a complaint email to the customer service of Air Premia, attaching the related documents showing the regulations, and the airline representative replied, ‘I checked with the question and the staff said it never happened,'” Oh said. “The check-in counter staff erroneously stated that her mother did not need a visa because she had a child living in the U.S.”
When Oh questioned the airline that it should have at least put on the website if there is such crucial information like ESTA, the employee said, “It’s not the airline’s responsibility.” The company allegedly claims that “The passenger complained that there was nothing on the airline’s website stating that Korean nationals needed a visa to travel to the United States.”
“My mother even got an IV to prepare for boarding in hopes of seeing her child in the U.S., but because of the employee’s misinformation, she missed the flight and had to return home with heavy luggage in the early morning when there was no bus,” Oh recounted.
“I also wasted three days of my time because the employee told me that it would take a few days to apply for ESTA,” Oh said. “The airline knew about the situation, but did not apologize or refund the fee.”
In response to the incident, a representative from Air Premia’s New York office stated, “Visa holders do not require ESTA for boarding. We are currently liaising with our office in Korea to ascertain the details.”
BY NICOLE CHANG, HOONSIK WOO [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
