How to salvage this travel nightmare a week before my wedding

[mla131 0]

Hello all,

This is my first time posting here but I am sorta at a loss of what I can do. I am realativly inexperianced at traveling. I am 25 and traveled twice to the Philippines, once going through Japan and once through Hong Kong.

I was all set to fly to the Philippines next Thursday when I got a message from my booking agent, Cheapo air stating that my flight from Hong Kong to Manila had been canceled. They put me on the next flight which would cause me to arrive at 4am the day I was to marry. This was not possible as I needed fitted for my wedding clothes. I called my booking agent which promptly put me on hold for an hour then told me to call a number that was their "schedule change department" . After 30 minutes they said they would look into changing it and basiclly did nothing. I called Cathay Pacific and they moved my departure date forward so I could get there before Saturday. I filed a complaint on Cathay Pacific's website.

Then, last night they changed my flight again. Now I have an 11 hour layover in Hong Kong I arrive at 5 am the day I am to marry. I called my booking agent and they transfered me to their schedale change again which gave me a message to call back tomorrow. Their online chat gave me a number to call. I called that number and it was American Airlines, they told me Cathay Pacific had my ticket and they couldnt change anything. I called Cathay Pacific in the morning (another hour) they told me they couldn't switch me carriers and told me to call my agent. Called my agent and now they said they will call Cathay Pacific. The exact definition of a run around. Now they are leaving me in limbo for 48 hours so it can be "escalated".

What am I to do?

[VOL 425]

Sound like not much you can do, You didn't leave enough room for the unknown when flying and you also used a consolidator to book.

Get there and deal with it, I suggest you carry a large amount of pocket change to tip to make things work out once you arrive in Philippines....

[ch3john 308]

I'm confused. Your timeline says you are a K-1 filer but you are going to Phils to get married?

Not much you can about your flights. If you would have booked directly with them instead of a 3rd party, they might be a little more accommodating. Take it as lesson learned for future travel and also lesson learned to allow more time for important dates.

[Greenbaum 12,259]

I have to agree with VOL. Seems to me that scheduling a wedding that close to arrival is not good planning. Good luck.

Explain for us the K1 visa and your getting married.

Edited November 9, 2015 by Greenbaum

[Hank_ 9,174]

Actually he has been posting since August, so this isn't his 1st posting. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/559888-noa2-expire/#entry7751159

Not sure what is going on with the marriage, they completed the K-1 visa interview back in August. http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=201551

[mla131 0]

Actually he has been posting since August, so this isn't his 1st posting. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/559888-noa2-expire/#entry7751159

Not sure what is going on with the marriage, they completed the K-1 visa interview back in August. http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=201551

I am having a ceremony there for her family. Haven't been able to make it to Phil due to graduate school until my break in November. She will come back with me.

[Hank_ 9,174]

I am having a ceremony there for her family. Haven't been able to make it to Phil due to graduate school until my break in November. She will come back with me.

Sign no marriage documents.

No fitting issue for you it's a Tagalog Baroong, just pull it on and there you are.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Hank_

[VOL 425]

Slaughter a couple of cows for the ceremony.........

[cristina16 81]

Hello all,

This is my first time posting here but I am sorta at a loss of what I can do. I am realativly inexperianced at traveling. I am 25 and traveled twice to the Philippines, once going through Japan and once through Hong Kong.

I was all set to fly to the Philippines next Thursday when I got a message from my booking agent, Cheapo air stating that my flight from Hong Kong to Manila had been canceled. They put me on the next flight which would cause me to arrive at 4am the day I was to marry. This was not possible as I needed fitted for my wedding clothes. I called my booking agent which promptly put me on hold for an hour then told me to call a number that was their "schedule change department" . After 30 minutes they said they would look into changing it and basiclly did nothing. I called Cathay Pacific and they moved my departure date forward so I could get there before Saturday. I filed a complaint on Cathay Pacific's website.

Then, last night they changed my flight again. Now I have an 11 hour layover in Hong Kong I arrive at 5 am the day I am to marry. I called my booking agent and they transfered me to their schedale change again which gave me a message to call back tomorrow. Their online chat gave me a number to call. I called that number and it was American Airlines, they told me Cathay Pacific had my ticket and they couldnt change anything. I called Cathay Pacific in the morning (another hour) they told me they couldn't switch me carriers and told me to call my agent. Called my agent and now they said they will call Cathay Pacific. The exact definition of a run around. Now they are leaving me in limbo for 48 hours so it can be "escalated".

What am I to do?

Getting in and out of the Philippines during Nov. 16- 21 will be a HUGE challenge. Hundreds of flights are cancelled due to the APEC Summit that will be held in Metro Manila. Presidents of APEC member nations will be in the country including their entourage (Obama included). There will be a no fly zone within the airport if a delegate will arrive/ depart. Thus several airlines cancelled their flights and your flight was affected. There is nothing the Airline can do about this, yes it is frustrating but your Fiancee should have told you about what going on here this November.

You may have purchased your tickets months back but knowing the APEC schedule you may have re-booked or changed your travel dates so as not to arrived on your wedding day. There is nothing you can do, sorry. It is better to endure the long lay-over or ask your airline to re-route you.

[powermau 0]

As with the others, I don't think there is anything much you can do. If it's any consolation, it is not entirely your fault nor your wife/fiancee. Sure the gov't announced the APEC submit a while back but then the announcement of flight cancellation was just a few weeks back (sometime in October). Who would have taught which flights on which terminals are getting cancelled? The gov't should have announced cancellation of flights further ahead than just a few weeks but of course they didn't.

Sorry about your situation. I hope you get here soon. And yea, if you're wearing barong, there isn't much fitting!

[JE57 239]

Sorry for the hassles you have endured it's never fun. A couple things... I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that having a wedding rather official or not could have very negative consequences down the road in terms of an immigration officer thinking your fiancee was actually married on entry to the USA on a K-1 Visa. I've seen so many threads that say this is a poor idea. Perhaps the concerns are overblown. As for the 11 hour layover, There are worse places to be stuck for 11 hours. As a US citizen entering Hong Kong does not require a visa. The Airport Express train is right in the airport and for $100 HKD each way (about 200 US) will drop you 24 minutes later right into the center of Hong Kong.. Hong Kong is very safe and you could easily do some tourist things for a few hours to kill the time. GREAT time of year to be in Hong Kong.

[JE57 239]

Re-read original post, It isn't clear if the current schedule has the flight landing in HK at 5:00AM or MNL at 5:00AM or when the 11 hour layover falls. BUT another option is the check with the carrier and see if they would rebook him USA --> HK and then MNL --> USA return and then pay for a local carrier flight one way from HK to MNL. A possible way to cut an 11 hour layover down.

[jg121783 3,909]

Sorry for the hassles you have endured it's never fun. A couple things... I'm surprised that no one has pointed out that having a wedding rather official or not could have very negative consequences down the road in terms of an immigration officer thinking your fiancee was actually married on entry to the USA on a K-1 Visa. I've seen so many threads that say this is a poor idea. Perhaps the concerns are overblown. As for the 11 hour layover, There are worse places to be stuck for 11 hours. As a US citizen entering Hong Kong does not require a visa. The Airport Express train is right in the airport and for $100 HKD each way (about 200 US) will drop you 24 minutes later right into the center of Hong Kong.. Hong Kong is very safe and you could easily do some tourist things for a few hours to kill the time. GREAT time of year to be in Hong Kong.

Me and my fiance were also considering applying for a K1 visa and having a "wedding" ceremony in the Philippines before she came here and we got married. After some people on this forum and even an immigration attorney strongly avised me against this we reconsidered and now we are planning on getting married n the Philippines in Febuary and applying for a CR1 visa instead. Maybe the concerns are unfounded but I would rather not chance being rejected for a K1 visa and having to start over again. We decided to have a nice wedding for her family and wait a little longer for her to get here rather than risk it. Also to avoid the issues the OP is facing we planned on having our wedding about a week after I get there.

That is good information to know about Hong Kong as I almost missed my connecting flight there on my way back home a couple weeks ago (had to basically run from one end of the airport to the other to make it on time and when I got to the gate most people were on the plane already and it left shortly after). Also the flight I am looking at for my next trip has an 11 hour layover on the way home. I was wondering about how a visa would work there and if I would be stuck in the airport for a long layover. Maybe I will have to check out Hong Kong a little if I have a long layover next time.

Just like the OP I flew on Cathay Pacific. Overall the flight was decent but I have one warning about it. On your trip home if you take the 8:45 AM flight from Manila you will be cutting it close on making your connecting flight out of Hong Kong as I just talked about. If that is the flight you choose I would get through security as quickly as possible and immediately find the gate for your connecting flight or you might miss it. If you miss it I believe you are stuck in Hong Kong for 24 hours until the flight the next day (if you are flying to Chicago anyways).

[Klepley 4]

Skip the wedding/the fitting. Just go there and have a party for her family and friends when you arrive. Make a it a vacation and just be happy that you have the K1 and she is coming home with you. If that doesn't work, then when you arrive at you first destination start going to all the other airlines that have flights to Manila and if you really want to do this, jump on the first one that heads out that can fit you in. Will be expensive, but if that is what you want you may get lucky. My fiance is practical and would kill me if I did this (the wedding, the extra money for tickets, etc..lol).... Good luck!