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When attempting to book a flight with Turkish Airlines from Cancun to Istanbul in October, I get a warning that "Sale of passenger tickets on this route is subject and conditioned to a prior authorization from the United Mexican States".

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What does this actually mean? Who needs approval? Is it just that I need to get a visa to Mexico in order to get on the flight or is it something else? Trying to google the phrase doesn't really tell me much, so hopefully someone here will know what the warning means.

eirikdaude
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1 Answers1

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The route from Cancun to Istanbul is a new route for Turkish Airlines (I was recently on a Turkish flight where the crew was talking about it excitedly, as a nice new place for them to go) and service is set to start in August.

New international airline routes typically require the approval of the relevant governments, and can be the subject of trade negotiations. I suspect this message is meant as a notice that the Mexican government has not yet approved the new route. They wouldn't have put the flight on the schedule if they didn't believe the approval was forthcoming, but I'm not certain what will happen if you go ahead and book now. There's at least some small possibility the flight could be cancelled if they don't receive the necessary approvals in time, though the time between August and October gives you a decent buffer.

Zach Lipton
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