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Old 21 Jul 19, 08:21 AM  
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#41
discoclare
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One of my colleagues was travelling last year with her husband and kids to the country she is originally from, but her flight connected through the US. She now has a British passport, as do her kids, her husband has a passport from another EU country. When they got to Heathrow it was discovered at check-in that none of them had ESTAs. They applied on their phones quickly and the adult ones were approved pretty much straight away but the kids ones weren't and they missed their flight.

Unfortunately they were travelling at a very busy time of year with most flights fully booked, they managed to get another later flight to US after spending whole day at airport but of course had missed the connecting flight and couldn't get to that country on any carrier for days and days as all full. They asked to do standby, even if that meant splitting the family onto different flights. They then had to get a hotel room for the night and come back the next day.
They did get on a flight standby the next day, thought the seats were separate from each other (something that often comes up on the Dibb), my colleague was just happy to get on the plane so didn't mind. However, I was surprised they didn't rearrange people to sit the kids with the adults as her 6 year old has special needs and her other child is a rather boisterous 2 year old! In the end a passenger offered to swap so the 2 year old could sit with her (I'm thinking none of those passengers would want to sit with him - I certainly wouldn't!).
When I asked her how it happened, she had previously had a visa in her old passport as her home country isn't in the waiver program, so said she didn't know she needed the ESTA now she had a British passport. However, her husband has always had an EU passport and has been to the US within the last 10 years, but didn't remember anything about doing an ESTA for his last trip!
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Old 21 Jul 19, 08:24 AM  
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BevS97
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Originally Posted by Redsnapper View Post
Esta status is checked at the desk not at the gate - I would imagine they were refused for some other reason.
We are hand luggage only so havent been to the desk and our passports / esta was just checked at the gate. I did hold my breath while she did it as I’d forgotten we hadn’t been checked yet. But all ok
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Old 21 Jul 19, 09:18 AM  
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bonnies mum
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Originally Posted by ChrisS View Post
Same here Manie, never had ESTA, or B2 visa, pre check-in inspected. Wonder if it's an American carrier procedure. As we check in circa 70 mins afore push back, when desks are empty, we only see desk staff.
We checked-in at Glasgow for BA flight to Miami via Heathrow couple of years ago.
We were asked to show our ESTAS, staff member was very officious. I was so relieved I had printed them off and they were to hand.
I thought you didn’t actually have to have a paper copy of your as it is linked to your passport on computer so was surprised it was requested.
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Old 21 Jul 19, 10:35 AM  
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Thorpy
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People talking about being asked in the queue reminded me, we've been asked in the queue, but the confident, yes we know it's all sorted response is enough to get the queue marshaller to move onto the next family.
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Old 21 Jul 19, 04:22 PM  
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400ixl
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Originally Posted by bonnies mum View Post
I thought you didn’t actually have to have a paper copy of your as it is linked to your passport on computer so was surprised it was requested.
You don't, never print ours, tend to have them online so I can get to them if I must but have never had to in dozens of US flights.
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Old 21 Jul 19, 05:33 PM  
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A couple on our trip to Canada and Alaska last year had neither their ESTAs or their ETAs. They were very lucky and their ETAs were authorised the same day so they managed to get a later flight to Canada and then did their ESTA applications before gettingto the USA
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Old 21 Jul 19, 05:38 PM  
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bonnies mum
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Originally Posted by 400ixl View Post
You don't, never print ours, tend to have them online so I can get to them if I must but have never had to in dozens of US flights.
That is what I thought and said so politely but the BA check-in woman insisted on seeing it. To be frank she was an unpleasant so & so. Had it handy just in case but wonder what would have happened had we not been able to produce it. Hope we don’t get her again this year.
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Old 21 Jul 19, 06:10 PM  
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Originally Posted by bonnies mum View Post
We checked-in at Glasgow for BA flight to Miami via Heathrow couple of years ago.
We were asked to show our ESTAS, staff member was very officious. I was so relieved I had printed them off and they were to hand.
I thought you didn’t actually have to have a paper copy of your as it is linked to your passport on computer so was surprised it was requested.
Hiya BM, luckily (or unlucky depending on views ) we we're never asked to show ESTAs, just as well as I never printed them off! B2 approved 2012, apart from an IO error that resulted in a mistaken 61 day over-stay flag (Secondary interview resolved), we've always sailed thro check-in/immigration. With your first domestic, Gla to LHR, flight perhaps BA staff were trying to make it a bit easier for LHR staff.

As 400ixl said, there's no requirement to print off ESTA but I believe it's a good idea to do so, as your instance showed.
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