A 71-year-old cancer survivor is one of the latest travellers to be caught out by a website that offers New Zealand transit visas at a marked-up price.
When Jim Dewberry’s partner Hope called him from Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina, she was in a panic.
Hope was travelling to Melbourne to visit him, Dewberry (75) told the Herald, and it was her first trip following a season of lockdowns and chemotherapy.
Nonetheless, the 71-year-old felt confident tackling the journey solo, which involved flying from North Carolina to Dallas Fort Worth, transiting in Auckland, and then finishing in Melbourne, all with American Airlines.
However, issues began when Hope tried to check in for the first leg on November 6.
“The first indication of her need for a visa was during check-in at ILM,” Dewberry said, adding that American Airlines had never mentioned she would need an NZeTA for New Zealand.
“Despite her insistence that she was merely a transit passenger, the check-in clerk said it was needed before they issued her boarding pass and steered her towards the NZ government website for an NZeTA,” he said.
Hope was flying from her home in the US to Melbourne, where her partner Jim Dewberry now lives. Photo / Suppliied
Hope completed the form but struggled to attach the required photo ID.
“Panic set in after numerous unsuccessful attempts were made to upload her photo, as is the requirement,” Dewberry said. With one hour until boarding, she called him in…
