Unequal division in post-Christmas karma. A moment of pity for my elder daughter

[DFW]

Today, my wife and I traveled from Düsseldorf to Charleston, SC. All three flights were on time (Düsseldorf to Amsterdam to Atlanta to Charleston, and all of our luggage made it, too.

My poor daughter and her new husband, though?

They had planned to travel to Morocco for a week, but at the last minute their travel agent in New York mailed them and told them that because our son-in-law had an Israeli passport, Morocco would not let him in. He is Russian, but his mom had moved there when he was nine, and didn't move to the States until after he had served in the Israeli army (even though he and his mom are Catholic, not even Orthodox). They asked their travel agent what could still be booked at this late date? The travel agent mailed back: South Africa. OK. Cape Town and then a 3 day photo safari in Kruger National Park. They rebooked. On the 25th, they drove with my younger daughter down to Frankfurt, and got off there. They flew on the overnight nonstop to Cape Town, South Africa.

Then the South Africans wouldn't let him in, either. WTF? I have never heard of South Africa refusing entry to an Israeli, but they didn't. Dejected, after a 10 hour flight from Frankfurt, they found space on an 11 hour flight from Cape Town to New York, which they were now on.

I never heard of South Africa having problems with Israelis before, but now, it appears they do. A travel agent is supposed to know this, and should never have booked the trip. For that matter, Lufthansa should never have let him on the plane to South Africa, either. Air lines aren't supposed to let passengers board inter-continental flights if their travel documents aren't good for entry at the destination. So instead of a cool trip, they went on a 24 hour air odyssey over 3 continents. I wouldn't want to be that travel agent when they get home!!

[elleng]

1. DAMN!

Glad I'm not working in a travel agency now, as I did when I was in high school (###### years and a lifetime ago.)

[pangaia]

2. What's a travel agent?

[Captain Zero]

3. Obviously not the guy they had.

Too bad they had so many ruined plans for sure.

[pangaia]

7. LOLOLOL

[gristy]

4. Yes, I certainly agree with your last point.

On check-in for international travel, my passport has always been checked. Presumably they knew that the passport was good for entry at my destination (it was), since they would always let me on the flight. Maybe in this case the airline did check their passports and their Israeli citizenship was not (yet) on their list, and South Africa simply denied them entry because they felt like it. Or, if I'm being generous with everyone involved, it was a recent change.

[JoeOtterbein]

5. My eldest has.....

.....

(broken dad)

[lostnfound]

6. .

[malthaussen]

8. Well, at least New York let him in.

Good thing his passport wasn't Somali.

There's an idea for a new take on "The Flying Dutchman." Somebody whose passport won't let him land anywhere on Earth, so he just goes on, circling the planet in Tourist class, eating fiberglass meals and watching the same movies he's seen a thousand times before.

-- Mal

[central scrutinizer]

11. We were warned

[link:https://m.

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[malthaussen]

12. Exactly!

There, but for the grace of a nickel, go I.

I wonder what the fares on the MTA are now.

-- Mal

[Duppers]

9. Good grief!

They they have to resort to legal measures, or threats of, to be reimbursed for that flight? Poor guys.

[DFW]

10. Not exactly what they had in mind for seeing Africa

My guess is that the travel agent will say, "well you didn't say one of the parties traveling had an Israeli passport (except yes they did, which is why the agent emailed to cancel Morocco at the last minute) " and Lufthansa will say "it is the responsibility of the parties traveling to obtain all necessary visas, etc."

[whistler162]

13. Okay here is the issue.....

https://www.jewishpress.com/news/sports-news/israels-national-baseball-team-beats-s-africa-11-1-to-qualify-for-tokyo-olympics/2019/09/23/ obvious the immigrantion officer was a baseball fan.

From the little research I did it sounds weird.

From https://cibtvisas.com/requirements

Visa Exempt

A visa is not required for this destination for a stay of up to 90 days. Please keep in mind that while a visa is not required, you must:
Hold a machine-readable passport
Hold a passport valid at least six months on entry with at least TWO CONSECUTIVE AND FACING blank visa pages
Hold proof of onward/return flights
Hold all documents required for the next destination
Hold proof of sufficient funds relative to your intended length of stay.
Confirm with their airline that boarding will be permitted without a visa as these conditions are subject to change
3 most recent bank statement required
While a visa is not required, you must have TWO CONSECUTIVE AND FACING blank visa pages in your passport in order to enter South Africa.
Vaccinations

Some countries may require vaccinations if your immediately prior point of departure is from countries deemed a health risk. Please go to http://www.cdc.gov/travel/contentVaccinations.aspx for the most up to date health requirements for each segment of your trip.
Letter from Employer

If you are currently employed, you must provide an employment letter. The letter must:

State years and position with the company
State that you are traveling strictly for tourism reasons
Provide dates granted for vacation
Be on business letterhead paper
Entry Requirements For Minors

Beginning June 1, 2015 all travelers under the age of 18, irrespective of nationality and traveling to and/or from South Africa, must hold an original unabridged full birth certificate or a certified copy. All documents issued in a language other the English must be accompanied by a sworn translation into English and certified in the issuing country. Other conditions apply:
If the minor is entering with one parent then the minor must also present an affidavit from the absent parent stating consent to travel, or, a court order granting full parental responsibilities to the present parent, or, a death certificate in case the other parent is deceased
If the minor is traveling with an adult other than the parent(s) then the minor must also present an affidavit from the parents/legal guardians stating consent to travel; copies of identification documents of the parents/legal guardians and contact details of the parents/guardians
Unaccompanied minors should contact the South Africa consulate for full details
In the case of school tours, the parental consent affidavit may be replaced with an affidavit from the school principal confirming that all consent letters are held by the school

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