The Summer Travel Issue

Here's a scenario that happens more often than you'd think. You book a flight from your home country to your destination. The route has a layover in Country A. You check the visa requirements — no transit visa needed for Country A. You're good to go.

Then, a few weeks before your trip, the airline changes your PNR. Your flight gets rerouted. Now your layover is in Country B instead of Country A. You get an email with the updated itinerary, and it looks fine. You don't think much of it.

At check-in, the airline tells you that you can't board because you need a transit visa for Country B.

This is not a rare edge case. It happens regularly on routes through Asia. Here are some real examples:

India. Since 2017, India requires a transit visa (T-1) for most nationalities even if you're just changing planes and never leaving the international transit area. The only exceptions are a few specific countries. So if your airline reroutes your flight through Mumbai or Delhi — and you didn't originally plan to transit through India — you could be denied boarding at the origin airport.

China. China offers 24-hour and 72-hour visa-free transit for certain nationalities, but only through specific approved cities and airports. If your PNR changes and you're routed through a Chinese airport that doesn't qualify for the exemption, or if your nationality isn't on the list, you'll need a Chinese transit visa. These can take days to process.

Thailand. Thailand requires a transit visa for passengers who need to change terminals at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). If your arriving and departing flights are in different terminals — which happens when airlines change your flight — you'll need to pass through immigration, and that means you need a visa.

The core problem: airlines don't always warn you when a PNR change creates a new visa requirement. Their system flags if your destination country needs a visa, but transit visa checks are inconsistent. Sometimes the airline catches it at check-in. Sometimes immigration catches it at the layover airport. Either way, you're the one stuck.

What you can do: Every time you receive a flight change notification, recheck the visa requirements for the new transit country on the Timatic database (accessible through the IATA Travel Centre at iatatravelcentre.com). Check both the entry requirements and the transit requirements — they're listed separately. If a visa is needed, apply immediately — transit visas can take 3-15 business days depending on the country.

A quick checklist for anyone taking an international trip this summer. Go through this a week before you leave:

• 01Check your passport expiry. Most countries require at least 6 months of validity. If your passport expires before December 2026, renew it now — processing takes 4-6 weeks in most countries.
• 02Verify your transit visa requirements. Not just your destination — every country you pass through. If your airline changed your PNR, recheck on iatatravelcentre.com.
• 03Download an eSIM before you land. Airalo and Holafly let you buy local data plans from home. You'll have internet the moment you step off the plane.
• 04Screenshot your important documents. Take photos of your passport, visa, hotel bookings, and insurance policy. If your phone dies or gets lost, email copies to yourself too.
• 05Buy travel insurance. Trip cancellation and medical emergency claims jumped 40% this year. A basic policy costs $50-100 for a two-week trip.
• 06Call your bank. Tell them you're traveling and which countries you'll visit. Otherwise they may block your card for "suspicious activity" when you make your first purchase abroad.
• 07Check if you need any vaccines. Some countries require yellow fever vaccination certificates if you're arriving from certain regions. Visit who.int/international-travel-and-health.