I need to get Carol her airline ticket to Kansas City. I am worried if I buy her ticket here they will not honor the
ticket in the Philippines. I read she will get a discount from travel agents in the Philippines for first time immigrant
ticket. Please help I want to make sure Carol will get here with no problems. Are there any fees I need to send her
money for departure or international travel fees?

Thanks,
Carol and Richie

No worries, they will honor the ticket. I've heard it's less expensive too, but I want to make sure that she has simple flights with carriers that I trust as well as hubs that I know and trust, and to me, it's worth the (possible) extra cost.

The Philippines does have a departure fee that must be paid in the Philippine Peso (I would imagine this is covered in the CFO pre-departure course), and of course, she will want to have some money (preferably American currency) to have during her trip in case she wants to make a phone call, have a meal, etc.

I'm currently in northwest Missouri and was looking at flights on Travelocity and Expedia to Kansas City. You can get them for about $1200. The simplest option I saw would fly her straight to Cali (I think Los Angeles) via Philippine Airlines, then to Kansas City via Midwest Airlines. The only thing I didn't like about that path was it's a 13-hour layover in Los Angeles. My plan was to fly to L.A. the night before, surprise her at the airport upon her arrival, and take the same flight to K.C. Of course, I would contact Midwest and explain the situation so that her and I would be able to sit together However, it's a cheaper and easier option for me to fly her to Minneapolis and drive up there. I think she'll enjoy seeing some of the Midwest's countryside

I strongly suggest you just send her the money and she can purchase the ticket from the Philippines then the taxes will already be included. I am sure there are a lot of good travel agencies where she comes from. For international travels, she has to pay the terminal fee of P500 or maybe P750 when she departs and of course, pocket money will be helpful during the trip

Goodluck!

That's news to me. Why not check out kayak.com and get quotes from local travel agents in the Philippines?

Make sure she has enough to cover all airport departure fees. I had to pay in Davao and Manila before I left the country. The ATM at the Manila airport isn't easy to find because it's outside the terminal.

Some airlines require the original credit card used when printing boarding passes. That could create a hassle if she goes to one of those airlines when you buy them online.

Also, you could check out other discount sites like cheapoair.com, economytravel.com, discounttravel.com, vayama.com

I would shop around to make sure you get the best deal, considering how expensive flights are right now.

I did get a first time immigrant discount when I got my ticket to New York. It was through a local travel agent, and it was on Korean Air. It came out the cheapest, even though Korean Air's fares are unbelievably expensive, relative to other air lines. I must say, though, that after flying AA, I totally understand why some people would be willing to shell out extra for Korean..

Anyhow, I suggest finding an agent in the PI, and compare their rates to online booking.. Taking that route saved me half the cost of online booking. But during my vacation there this past Christmas, Expedia gave me the lowest fare available. Booking with expedia, though, I had to pay some tax thing on the flight back to New York.

Before i left philippines, i did scout for first time immigrant discounted airfare. They need to see the visa and the CFO training certificate and u have to pay in cash.
My ticket (MNL-JPN-MCI) was bought online though, i have the the email receipt printed off and the airport pips honored it. BTW, the terminal fee is 750pesos - used to be 500p.

Travel Tax
First Class Full rate PHP 2700
Economy Class PHP 1620

http://www.philtourism.gov.ph/ttax.html#t_tax_rates

Check out itasoftware.com, you will have to book the actual flight through a travel agent if it involves multiple airlines but it is much cheaper than most other sources.
You should be able to get KC for 930$.

Yes some airlines offer immigration fares if booked from the PI, for instance Philippine airlines offers 20% discount.
Note however, if you book from the US, Philippine air will not allow someone to board on a ticket booked with someone elses Credit card. Not sure what other airlines may have this policy, check with your carrier first.

The departure fees from NAIA are 750p terminal fee, and 1620p Exit tax. However, if you book the flight in the PI the exit tax should be included in the ticket price.

Good Luck!

kayak.com will not allow you to book flights to/from Manila.

Kayak.com still lists prices to/from Manila but it looks like the cheap flights are booked thorough China Airlines (Taiwan).

Ah, I knew at one time it didn't. Things always change

EVA and China Airlines also have this policy, if you pay by CC you have to show the card when checking in. North West let me book on their web site but as she now has to change the date she has to give them my CC details as proof...or maybe Ciela just told me that to go buy herself a new wardrobe

Thanks for the replies. I am just worried if I buy the ticket they might give Carol problems picking
up the ticket at the irport. I will have her check flights in General Santos travel agencies and send
her the money to buy the ticket. I will feel much safer this way. I flew PAL to Hong Kong, and United
to Chicago, and United to Kansas City coming back from Manila and will see if she can get the same flight.
This way I can meet her at Chicago airport and fly home with her to KC. Wow I cant believe Carol will be
here very soon now

Already made our reservations to get married in Las Vegas in August