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I booked a flight on Cathay but I was denied boarding from China to Europe via Hong Kong. The operator claimed that I need visa to transit (Syrian national) although I had one single booking and my transfer was only 3 hours and I met the requirements of my final destination.

They forced me to refund the ticket so I lost the refund fees, what can I do in this situation? I am worried that the operator input HK as the final destination just to get rid of me.

Although the IATA system gives the same message to mainland Chinese passengers they still let them transfer through HK to Europe, so why did they deny it to me?

FreeMan
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WISEHEAD
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1 Answers1

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According to both Timatic (the system used by most airlines to confirm visa requirements) and the IATA Travel Center a Syrian national DOES require a visa to transit Hong Kong, even if only for a few hours, and even when travelling on a single ticket.

As you did not have a valid visa to transit Hong Kong, you were correctly denied boarding in China.

Doc
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