Travel with combo card - denied boarding pass

[Darnell 8,479]

please note - written letters get top priority - email just isn't so noticed.

a week after you've written the letter, send the whole thing again via fax.

then another week shall pass, start yer followup via telephone with their PR department.

[agrabs 241]

please note - written letters get top priority - email just isn't so noticed.

a week after you've written the letter, send the whole thing again via fax.

then another week shall pass, start yer followup via telephone with their PR department.

Will do!

[agrabs 241]

I finally got a response from frontier airlines : They basically did a copy and paste of the page from the USCIS website. Frontier is still not understanding the issue here - If a passenger has an AP card then they have the documentation the airline needs for travel. It is up to immigration to decide the rest. They are getting hung up on the statement that AP doesn't guarantee that CBP will parole you into the US. I get the feeling from their response that this will still be a problem for anyone traveling on frontier out of cancun, Mexico.

Response Via Email(Brittany) - 06/21/2013 05:59 PM


Thank you for contacting Frontier Airlines Customer Relations.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the unsatisfactory service that you experienced during check-in at our Cancun station on June 8, 2013. We understand your concern and appreciate receiving your comments. It is through customer feedback such as yours, that we are able to continually improve the quality of our service.

Upon review of the USCIS Government page, is states that passengers are not guaranteed reentry with this card. This card authorizes parole, not admission, to the U.S. Parole is not an admission or "entry". If you obtain this card, you may use it to travel abroad and return to the U.S. Upon arriving at a port-of-entry, you should present the card to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer to request parole. Issuance of an Advance Parole document does not guarantee that CBP will parole you into the U.S. If parole is granted, you will be permitted to come into the U.S. as a parolee, but will not have been 'admitted". Individuals who have been unlawfully present in the U.S. and subsequently depart and seek re-entry through a grant of parole may be inadmissible and ineligible to
adjust their status.

I regret there was confusion with the ticket counter agents, I understand this must have been frustrating for you and we have forwarded your comments for internal follow up and review with the station. We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to forward the information.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Take it higher up, and explain that the check-in was searching for an identical document in a different form. They wanted the paper one, right? It's the same exact thing.

[agrabs 241]

Take it higher up, and explain that the check-in was searching for an identical document in a different form. They wanted the paper one, right? It's the same exact thing.

Yes, that was the entire problem - they believe the paper one is still in use and something different from the AP card.

I was trying to make sure I understand their response to me. I posted the entire response. Since they didn't really state anything in their own terms

what I gather from it is they still believe the AP card isn't what they need since they quoted the website where it states AP doesn't guarantee you will re-admitted to the US. If I am misunderstanding this I'm happy for someone to tell me otherwise

[Dave&Roza 748]

I finally got a response from frontier airlines : They basically did a copy and paste of the page from the USCIS website. Frontier is still not understanding the issue here - If a passenger has an AP card then they have the documentation the airline needs for travel. It is up to immigration to decide the rest. They are getting hung up on the statement that AP doesn't guarantee that CBP will parole you into the US. I get the feeling from their response that this will still be a problem for anyone traveling on frontier out of cancun, Mexico.

Response Via Email(Brittany) - 06/21/2013 05:59 PM

Thank you for contacting Frontier Airlines Customer Relations.

Please accept our sincere apologies for the unsatisfactory service that you experienced during check-in at our Cancun station on June 8, 2013. We understand your concern and appreciate receiving your comments. It is through customer feedback such as yours, that we are able to continually improve the quality of our service.

Upon review of the USCIS Government page, is states that passengers are not guaranteed reentry with this card. This card authorizes parole, not admission, to the U.S. Parole is not an admission or "entry". If you obtain this card, you may use it to travel abroad and return to the U.S. Upon arriving at a port-of-entry, you should present the card to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer to request parole. Issuance of an Advance Parole document does not guarantee that CBP will parole you into the U.S. If parole is granted, you will be permitted to come into the U.S. as a parolee, but will not have been 'admitted". Individuals who have been unlawfully present in the U.S. and subsequently depart and seek re-entry through a grant of parole may be inadmissible and ineligible to

adjust their status.

I regret there was confusion with the ticket counter agents, I understand this must have been frustrating for you and we have forwarded your comments for internal follow up and review with the station. We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to forward the information.

I would write a follow-up letter quoting their response and pointing out that it was an issue with the FORM of the document--i.e. paper verses plastic-- and that the paper has not been used since cira 2008. It is like the I-94 now. I would point out to them that as an international air provider, they need to be up-to-date on the immigration laws of the US and the forms of acceptable documents. I would also point out that by their reasoning they should only let USC on their flights as only USC are guaranteed re-entry into the US. Even LPRs can be denied at the POE and there is no way the airline would know that Joe Blow has been outside the US for 4 years and now wants to re-enter the US using his GC. I would go higher. You need a true appology in the form of monatary consideration for them to have taken you seriously.

Hammer on the fact that you had the proper documentation, but the USCIS has changed it from a paper format to a plastic format and all you are asking is for them to train their employees to accept proper documentation--their job is NOT to be CBP agents. I would point out that you have mentioned this to a large number of people here on VJ and I know that as a result of this, I will not fly Frontier as my first choise to Mexico and it is based in Denver, unless I hear from you that they have stepped up to the plate and accepted responsibility and are DOING something positive about it. So this is costing them potential business.

Good luck,

Dave

Edited June 23, 2013 by Dave&Roza

[agrabs 241]

I would write a follow-up letter quoting their response and pointing out that it was an issue with the FORM of the document--i.e. paper verses plastic-- and that the paper has not been used since cira 2008. It is like the I-94 now. I would point out to them that as an international air provider, they need to be up-to-date on the immigration laws of the US and the forms of acceptable documents. I would also point out that by their reasoning they should only let USC on their flights as only USC are guaranteed re-entry into the US. Even LPRs can be denied at the POE and there is no way the airline would know that Joe Blow has been outside the US for 4 years and now wants to re-enter the US using his GC. I would go higher. You need a true appology in the form of monatary consideration for them to have taken you seriously.

Hammer on the fact that you had the proper documentation, but the USCIS has changed it from a paper format to a plastic format and all you are asking is for them to train their employees to accept proper documentation--their job is NOT to be CBP agents. I would point out that you have mentioned this to a large number of people here on VJ and I know that as a result of this, I will not fly Frontier as my first choise to Mexico and it is based in Denver, unless I hear from you that they have stepped up to the plate and accepted responsibility and are DOING something positive about it. So this is costing them potential business.

Good luck,

Dave

Thank you Dave, I will keep you posted on their response. I really want them to acknowledge that they have educated their employees that the combo card is valid documentation. I have a place in cancun that I go to a couple of times a year and at this point I will not use frontier ever again even though it is the only non-stop out of KC.

[Darnell 8,479]

re: the response you got.

write back - suggest to 'Brittany' that she doesn't have the power to make the decision to allow her employees to use the same guidelines as TSA employees and CBP employees, and

instead,

you want a VP of the company to address the problem, not her.

Her posting something directly from a website is a dire indication that she does not understand the problem, and doesn't have the proper training for problem resolution and does not have the authority to enact any change concerning said problem.

[Juan y Sandra 0]

hello, my fear was the time of entry but reading your experience everything changes, I have my combo card aed / ap and I travel to my country in 15 days if God permits, follow specific steps before traveling with the ap? notify uscis or something? ah could say the name of the aereolinea put you through this rough time.?

[Dave&Roza 748]

hello, my fear was the time of entry but reading your experience everything changes, I have my combo card aed / ap and I travel to my country in 15 days if God permits, follow specific steps before traveling with the ap? notify uscis or something? ah could say the name of the aereolinea put you through this rough time.?

I would call the airlines you are travelling on and see if they know about the combo card and if there will be any problems. The issues with traveling with non-standard documents is that the airline employees are not properly trained. If the person says everything will be okay, get their name and other identifying information so you can drop that name on the return if you have problems in being allowed to board the plane.

Good luck,

Dave

[KayDeeCee 4,895]

If they like to use the USCIS web pages to respond to you, then you can do the same. The combo card has been issued since Feb. 2011. There are even pictures at the bottom of the page to help them understand better> http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=f5d28bcbf851e210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=6abe6d26d17df110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

They also do not seem to comprehend that you were already lawfully admitted to the US with a K-1 visa and have already filed for adjustment, which is how you got the AP to begin with. Its purpose is to re-enter the US while waiting for your green card approval. The person that responded to you is clueless. Not surprised with how they treated you in the first place.

Edited June 24, 2013 by Jay-Kay

[angellu0729 0]

Did your husband show any other documentations? I'm going back to my country on the 22nd of July. I received my EAD/AP last week, but I'm wondering when I come back, what status should I be? Do I just show them my combo card and passport? Thank you if you can see this and reply

[NikLR 13,231]

Frontier is one of the few airlines I refuse to travel on because of their poor customer service. I've only had one issue with them, and it was big enough for me to say never again.

I suggest you do the same!

[agrabs 241]

Did your husband show any other documentations? I'm going back to my country on the 22nd of July. I received my EAD/AP last week, but I'm wondering when I come back, what status should I be? Do I just show them my combo card and passport? Thank you if you can see this and reply

You should only have to show them your passport and combo card. We verified this with the immigration officer when entering the US. We specifically asked him if there was anything we could have done differently to avoid this problem and he said the passport and valid combo card was all we needed - that the airline was in the wrong

[Blue Bianchi 77]

I would suggest writing a letter to the editor at the Denver Post, urging immigrants to think twice about flying on Frontier, and that Frontier employees are lack training in immigration ID issues. Frontier Airlines is based in Colorado.

Here is the link: http://blogs.denverpost.com/eletters/how-to-send-a-letter-to-the-editor/

A letter to the editor of the Denver publication "Westword" might get results too: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee/?department=letters

Best,

Blue Bianchi

re: the response you got.

write back - suggest to 'Brittany' that she doesn't have the power to make the decision to allow her employees to use the same guidelines as TSA employees and CBP employees, and

instead,

you want a VP of the company to address the problem, not her.

Her posting something directly from a website is a dire indication that she does not understand the problem, and doesn't have the proper training for problem resolution and does not have the authority to enact any change concerning said problem.