Travel agents warned against using Emirates

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) on Thursday warned its members against booking their clients with Emirates Airlines, which it said had issued a circular imposing a $3,000 penalty on any travel agency for every client that will overstay in Dubai.

Maucie Cuna, PTAA vice president for outbound business, said in a statement that the policy had set a bad precedent and was counterproductive.

Cuna said it was still the concerned consulate that determined who would get a visa, a responsibility that should not be passed on to travel agents by way of a financial guarantee.

Emirates Airlines explained to the PTAA that the United Arab Emirates immigration office could suspend the carrier’s facility to process visas if it failed to locate any overstaying passenger. A $3,000 fine is also imposed on the local station, it added.

Emirates said it was merely passing on the penalty to travel agencies because it did not have direct contact with the passengers.

Cuna said, “The reality is that the penalty will not deter anyone who is committed to overstay in any country, more so if the guarantee is issued by the travel agent instead of the passengers themselves. Travel agencies should not be held responsible for that.”

Cuna said the PTAA would not comply with Emirates’ new procedure because travel agencies also could not properly screen most of their clients.

Many Filipinos visit the UAE, especially Dubai, hoping to find a job there before their tourist visa expires.

Cuna said the PTAA urged Emirates Airlines to instead look for a compromise, including the possibility of letting passengers themselves secure a bond that could be tapped if they overstayed.

Emirates Airlines is the world’s seventh-largest airline in passenger volume and, alongside Philippine Airlines, is the choice carrier of some 2.1 million documented overseas Filipino workers based in the Middle East. With editing by INQUIRER.net - By Ronnel Domingo, Philippine Daily Inquirer, July 18, 2008