Rgreenftm From United States of America, joined Jan 2008, 272 posts, RR: 0 Posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 2985 times:
What would happen if a plane traveling say between ANC and SEA had to divert to a Canadian airport because of a MX problem? Would the people on the airplane even be allowed off, or if they are allowed off, be able to clear customs, or would they just keep them contained somehow to avoid paperwork and other identification issues?
DL767captain From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 2539 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 2860 times:
Would they even have to deal with customs for a US-Canada type thing? I didn't think they would have to but i have never traveled outside the US so i wouldn't know for sure
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16802 posts, RR: 57 Reply 2, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 2827 times:
Quoting DL767captain (Reply 1): Would they even have to deal with customs for a US-Canada type thing? I didn't think they would have to but i have never traveled outside the US so i wouldn't know for sure
Of course they would. First of all, you assume that everyone on an ANC-SEA flight is an American citizen or resident legal alien. That isn't necessarily the case.
Unfortunately, as has happened on a few occasions, those who are not free to enter Canada (suppose you have a citizen of, say, Mozambique with a valid U.S. travel visa but no such visa for Canada) may get stuck in the airport for the duration of the delay if Canadian immigration isn't willing to grant them an emergency visa.
Personally, if I were in charge of such a facility's immigration services, I would figure out a way to help these poor people, but sometimes the officials simply can't be arsed.
The U.S. citizens on the flight would not likely have much of a problem. However, it might be a bit of a hassle since a U.S. citizen on such a flight wouldn't be likely to have a passport.
So my advice to any U.S. citizen planning a domestic flight that overflies a foreign country is to take your passport just in case.
VANGUARD737 From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 673 posts, RR: 5 Reply 3, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 2779 times:
I'm sure they would be allowed off the aircraft if they delay was expected to be of substantial time. They would more than likely just be kept in a secure area of the airport. US Customs would be contacted for passport information for those Americans on the flight with passports, Canadian nationals would be fine, of course. And they would take it from there.
While working at SBN we once had an Air Canada Embraer 190 YYZ-ORD divert after holding for too long above ORD. They flight was pre-cleared however, and it didn;t much matter.
GhYHZ From Canada, joined Feb 2008, 199 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 2640 times:
Not domestic US to US flights, but we see this regularly here at YHZ (Halifax) where an International flight is diverted and it could be hours before the flight continues or a replacement aircraft is brought in. Passengers clear customs and might even be put up in Hotels. Since these are International flight, passengers would have Passports but may not have a Visa for Canada. There are procedures in place for these instances. Also a common occurrence at other east coast airports such as Gander, Goose Bay, and St. John’s.
This could also happen to a domestic Canadian flight....being diverted to a US airport. Just about any flight between the Maritimes and central Canada will be in US airspace for about 200 miles across Maine. Also, depending on the routing, a flight between Toronto and Vancouver may be entirely in US airspace for 2000 miles from Michigan to just north of Seattle.
Domestic US flight approaching DTW or BUF stand a pretty good chance of being in Canadian airspace. Also flights between the US east coast and the upper mid-west: JFK or BOS to MSP will be over southern Ontario.
RP TPA From United States of America, joined Oct 1999, 829 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 22 hours ago) and read 2575 times:
Quoting GhYHZ (Reply 5): This could also happen to a domestic Canadian flight....being diverted to a US airport
Back in the mid-90's I was working for Air Canada in Boston. Their regional partner (now called Jazz, used to be called Air Nova) had a flight which went from Halifax to Yarmouth NS, and then to Boston. It would then return to Yarmouth and Halifax. Maybe 2-3 times a year, the YHZ-YQI flight had to overfly Yarmouth because of fog and continue to Boston. At that time, Halifax didnt have US preclearance facilities, so everyone had to post-clear upon arrival in Boston. So, you'd have about a dozen passengers who were just planning on travelling domestically within Canada to get to Yarmouth, who suddenly found themselves without passports having to enter the US. The immigration officers were always cool with it, just had the Yarmouth passengers show any ID (drivers's license, etc), and we would just put them on the BOS-YQI return flight (the fog would have burned off by that time).
Of course, the average age of the YQI passengers was something like 70. On a threat scale, Mr Rogers and Captain Kangarooo posed more danger to this country.
BE77 From Canada, joined Nov 2007, 455 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 2490 times:
Quoting DocLightning (Reply 2): The U.S. citizens on the flight would not likely have much of a problem. However, it might be a bit of a hassle since a U.S. citizen on such a flight wouldn't be likely to have a passport.
For a US citizen in the SEA ANC case, they would have no problem as long as they some reasonable proof they were a USA resident (Driver's License or similar). Customs at say Comox would probably give them the benefit of the doubt. And, you don't need a passport to fly into Canada (technically)
The really, really funny part would be when the left to continue to ANC or SEA.
They would not be allowed back into the USA! Even American's need a passport to fly into the USA under the new rules. (Canadian's do not require a passport to fly in to Canada, although of course it is getting difficult to get out without one
I realise that there would probably be an exemption in the case supposed here, but, that's how the rules are (AFAIK).
Fun and games of international travel (as I sit in POS waiting for yet another flight...a least the internet is free here)
GhYHZ From Canada, joined Feb 2008, 199 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 2454 times:
Quoting RP TPA (Reply 6): Back in the mid-90's I was working for Air Canada in Boston. Their regional partner (now called Jazz, used to be called Air Nova) had a flight which went from Halifax to Yarmouth NS, and then to Boston. It would then return to Yarmouth and Halifax.
YQI was an interesting operation domestically. Back when AC mainline was operating the route, a DC9 would arrive from BOS and 100 passengers would get off to clear Canadian Customs in the tiny terminal, put their luggage back on the belt and reboard for the 25 minute flight to YHZ. For awhile in the 1980's that flight even made a short hop over to Saint John before continuing to YHZ.
DocLightning From United States of America, joined Nov 2005, 16802 posts, RR: 57 Reply 9, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 18 hours ago) and read 2359 times:
Quoting BE77 (Reply 7):
They would not be allowed back into the USA! Even American's need a passport to fly into the USA under the new rules. (Canadian's do not require a passport to fly in to Canada, although of course it is getting difficult to get out without one Smile
Not exactly. The U.S. cannot deny entry to any American citizen, even if the citizen doesn't have a passport.
What not having a passport does is it makes it VERY long and laborious.
Like I say, if you're a U.S. citizen and flying to a U.S. destination that requires overflying another country, just take your passport. It doesn't require a lot of effort but it sure can save you a lot of grief.
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21448 posts, RR: 24 Reply 11, posted (4 years 6 months 1 week 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 2035 times:
Quoting Rgreenftm (Thread starter): What would happen if a plane traveling say between ANC and SEA had to divert to a Canadian airport because of a MX problem?
At one time NW operated MSP-YEG-ANC (at least in the 1960s and perhaps into the early 1970s). I think they were using a 727-100C combi on that route when it ended. It was a rather unusual routing with an intermediate stop in a foreign country between two US cities. YEG didn't have US pre-clearance then so YEG-boarding passengers would have had to clear US immigration/customs on arrival in ANC or MSP. I'm not sure how the through passengers between MSP and ANC were handled.
Quoting RP TPA (Reply 6): So, you'd have about a dozen passengers who were just planning on travelling domestically within Canada to get to Yarmouth, who suddenly found themselves without passports having to enter the US.
In those days Canadians didn't need a passport to travel to the US (and vice versa). A driver's license or other form of identification was enough.
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