Anyone familiar with Cathay Pacific, please read

[Massage Slave]

Howdy folks;

 

I am just a few weeks from flying from SFO to BKK on Cathay Pacific for the first time.  I am wondering how many methods of identifications do I need to get my ticket at SFO?  For example, my passport is one, but do I need more than one?  The reason I asked is I no longer drive so my old drivers license is expired and thus may not count as an identification.  And I DID search the US website of Cathay Pacific and can't find the answer to this.  Immediately after 9/11 I had to show two identifications for US airlines, but I don't know if Cathay Pacific is more than 1.

 

Thanks to all that reply. 

[philkrenshaw]

Your passport will be enough. (I assume you mean to get your boarding pass--you must already have your ticket I think)

I have heard some airlines want to see the credit card you used to buy your ticket, but I don't think that's really and ID. And I dont' think Cathay Pacific is one of them.

[Nomoopat]

Usually all you need is your passport and the credit card you used to purchase the ticket.  But I don't recall actually having to show them the credit card, but I always have it because its stated in the passenger info stuff online.

[LASportsNut]

I travel 5-10 times a year, all since 9-11.  I have never been asked for two forms of ID's.  I only use my passport for International and/or Domestic or my Driver License for Domestic.

[QuotaMan]

Passport only.

 

I have a different name on my credit card (the one that I use to buy ticket online) from my passport (just the first and middle names switched), so China Airlines wants to verify the card. I just show them the card upon check-in.

[Massage Slave]

Bless you all.  Passport I have (and I even checked to make sure it's current, and it is).  So will *cross my fingers* not be turned away from the boarding desk with an identification problem.  Grin.

[zerocool]

Don't worry.  Like the boys said, Passport and your credit card is all you need.  You are good to go.

[Daddee]

Bless you all.  Passport I have (and I even checked to make sure it's current, and it is).  So will *cross my fingers* not be turned away from the boarding desk with an identification problem.  Grin.

very important thing about passport I learned here, it needs to NOT be expiring in the next 6 months... 

 

if it's expiring in the next 6 months you may not be allowed to travel or enter the country.  not sure exactly why, but I think this is correct...

[Massage Slave]

Daddee, thank you for the heads up about that, but fortunately I have about 6 years left on this thing.  I think I'm safe from THAT aspect.  Grin.

[hioctane]

I have flown Cathay Pacific twice in the past year and they asked for nothing more than my passport.

[joeaf]

Passport only.

 

On 20 trips from the USA-Thailand, I have only shown my passport at check-in, and never been asked to show a second ID or asked for a credit card from any airline, including Cathay.

[evermore39]

very important thing about passport I learned here, it needs to NOT be expiring in the next 6 months... 

 

if it's expiring in the next 6 months you may not be allowed to travel or enter the country.  not sure exactly why, but I think this is correct...

 

This is the rule on paper, but Thai immigration never checks it - passports who don't need a visa are OK to enter as long as their passport is valid for the entire stay in the country.

[joeaf]

very important thing about passport I learned here, it needs to NOT be expiring in the next 6 months... 

 

if it's expiring in the next 6 months you may not be allowed to travel or enter the country.  not sure exactly why, but I think this is correct...

This is the rule on paper, but Thai immigration never checks it - passports who don't need a visa are OK to enter as long as their passport is valid for the entire stay in the country.

The airline can deny boarding and Delta did enforce the rule on a flight and three passengers were in trouble as noted in this Jun 2015 post.

 

http://www.pattaya-addicts.com/forum/topic/273247-pre-boarding-passport-and-return-ticket-check-at-jfk/?hl=%2Bvisa+%2Brun+%2Bchanges

On today's Delta flight from JFK to Narita, all passengers with an onward flight to Bangkok had their passports and return flights checked very carefully. Non-Thai passports had to have six months validity left or the passenger was denied boarding. Three passengers I saw were in trouble on that account. I don't know how it ended for them, but I didn't see them in the passenger cabin.

 

If you had a visa for Thailand, you had to show it and those without visas had to prove they had a flight out of Thailand within a month. The gate agent told me the Thai authorities had gotten very serious about this. I had never before experienced such a intense check at the gate...

[Daddee]

The airline can deny boarding and Delta did enforce the rule on a flight and three passengers were in trouble as noted in this Jun 2015 post.

 

http://www.pattaya-addicts.com/forum/topic/273247-pre-boarding-passport-and-return-ticket-check-at-jfk/?hl=%2Bvisa+%2Brun+%2Bchanges

On today's Delta flight from JFK to Narita, all passengers with an onward flight to Bangkok had their passports and return flights checked very carefully. Non-Thai passports had to have six months validity left or the passenger was denied boarding. Three passengers I saw were in trouble on that account. I don't know how it ended for them, but I didn't see them in the passenger cabin.

 

If you had a visa for Thailand, you had to show it and those without visas had to prove they had a flight out of Thailand within a month. The gate agent told me the Thai authorities had gotten very serious about this. I had never before experienced such a intense check at the gate...

interesting, we have a bm who's a delta gate agent, I will ask him to comment.

[evermore39]

The airline can deny boarding and Delta did enforce the rule on a flight and three passengers were in trouble as noted in this Jun 2015 post.

 

http://www.pattaya-addicts.com/forum/topic/273247-pre-boarding-passport-and-return-ticket-check-at-jfk/?hl=%2Bvisa+%2Brun+%2Bchanges

On today's Delta flight from JFK to Narita, all passengers with an onward flight to Bangkok had their passports and return flights checked very carefully. Non-Thai passports had to have six months validity left or the passenger was denied boarding. Three passengers I saw were in trouble on that account. I don't know how it ended for them, but I didn't see them in the passenger cabin.

 

If you had a visa for Thailand, you had to show it and those without visas had to prove they had a flight out of Thailand within a month. The gate agent told me the Thai authorities had gotten very serious about this. I had never before experienced such a intense check at the gate...

 

That's overzealous checking on the part of Delta - but I'm sure the immigration would have let them in with passports valid for less. 

[joeaf]

That's overzealous checking on the part of Delta - but I'm sure the immigration would have let them in with passports valid for less. 

Here is a Media Note issued by the U.S. Dept of State on Sep 5, 2014:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/09/231319.htm

Renew Early: Passports Expiring Within Six Months May Disrupt Travel

 

Many international travelers may not realize that having an unexpired passport is sometimes not enough to enter certain foreign countries. U.S. citizens traveling on passports that expire in fewer than six months have increasingly been denied airline boarding or been detained upon arrival in certain foreign destinations, including popular European travel destinations in the Schengen area. This is not a new requirement, but it is only recently that the requirement has been more strictly enforced.

…

[Daddee]

That's overzealous checking on the part of Delta - but I'm sure the immigration would have let them in with passports valid for less. 

hahaha, faulty thinking, but if you like to take chances when your vacation is at stake, go for it.

 

you might get through, but why take the risk?

[Ru4Real]

This is the rule on paper, but Thai immigration never checks it ....

... but I'm sure the immigration would have let them in with passports valid for less. 

 

Are you a Thai immigration officer?

[hammerman]

Airlines that deposit travellers in a country without a valid passport (to the date of there departure) or to the possible length of their visa and that passenger is refused entry, it is the airline that is responsible for returning them from whence they came.

I think a fine is imposed also.

Hence the 6 month rule for most passengers.

[evermore39]

Are you a Thai immigration officer?

 

No, but I do have info sources familiar with the situation.

[itchief]

Airlines that deposit travellers in a country without a valid passport (to the date of there departure) or to the possible length of their visa and that passenger is refused entry, it is the airline that is responsible for returning them from whence they came.

I think a fine is imposed also.

Hence the 6 month rule for most passengers.

You are correct, and the fine can be quite large for the airline.

 

I travel a lot, 100,000+ miles a year and I travel out of the USA many times each year. The airline I fly on has my passport info and my trusted traveler(Global Entry) info on file. They still check my passport each and every time I am on a flight out of the USA.

 

The 6 month rule has been around for years, just have to live with it. It is the travelers responsibility to make sure you have the proper documents to travel. The airline has your money, they could care less if you are denied boarding a flight because of visa or passport issues.

[night_rider]

You may want to simply print your own. San Francisco departures are included.

 

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_CA/manage-booking/check-in/self-print-boarding-pass.html

 

Mobile boarding passes also available out of SFO.

 

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_CA/manage-booking/check-in/mobile-boarding-pass.html

[joeaf]

...I am just a few weeks from flying from SFO to BKK on Cathay Pacific for the first time. ...

On a different note, just a suggestion to be aware of while onboard since there is an onboard theft problem occurring on shorter flights to/from HKG and authorities have made a few arrests.  This theft problem was noted in Dec 2013, but it seems to be continuing in 2015, so be mindful of your valuables while onboard.

 

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1847903/mile-high-criminals-targeting-passengers-flights-hong-kong

…New figures obtained by the Sunday Morning Post reveal a rising tide of thefts on-board passenger jets flying into Hong Kong International Airport.

 

Since the beginning of this year, there have been 45 in-flight robberies - almost as many as the 48 in the whole of 2014. Half of these have taken place in the past three months, suggesting a fresh surge of in-flight pilfering as robbers take advantage of unsuspecting air travellers.

...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=992309114133693&set=a.656105511087390.1073741826.100000638408004&type=1

 

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cathay-pacific-asia-miles/1533937-christmas-warning-thieves-stealing-hand-baggage-dragonair-flights.html

[dukes1963]

I recently got upgraded on Cathay from HKG-BKK to Business Class. Do you know if you are given a Fast Track card. I usually do Bangkok Flight Service, could probably drop that if I get the card. After flying from USA-want no long ques at BKK-Thanks

[Little Evil]

I recently got upgraded on Cathay from HKG-BKK to Business Class. Do you know if you are given a Fast Track card. I usually do Bangkok Flight Service, could probably drop that if I get the card. After flying from USA-want no long ques at BKK-Thanks

 

I flew CX-J last year and got the fast track card both landing and departing. If you're on a 777, try to get the two row J cabin up front near F class. Better service in that area, as the main biz cabin is actually quite large on their 777's.