You always hear about the hassles that are seemingly inherent to travel. Vacationers, notorious for voicing even the most interesting complaints, often do have every right to be annoyed. Traveling to different countries, with different policies, customs, and languages can be difficult, even for those whose job it is to get you there. Of course, you would figure that experience pilots and flight staff have done this one too many times for it to be a hassle but you would be quite surprised. They have to deal with the usual drawn-out paperwork, ramp checks, which can get more time consuming, for example, if you deal with SAFA, the European equivalent of the FAA and Transport Canada. Of course, there are also differences in flight rules that may depend on where you are flying into. On top of keeping all of this in mind, your flight’s crew have other concerns as well.
No matter how many times a similar obstacle is encountered when flying abroad, even highly experienced pilots like Ron Rapp find themselves exclaiming, “What a country!”
Below are some of the other hurdles that pilots and their flight staff encounter time and time again:
Problems with Visas: Different destinations, different Visa policies. And sometimes those policies are enough to leave you dumbfounded. A licensed pilot missing their flight because of Visa holdups? Insane. Not being allowed entry, even when all the paperwork checks out, because you just recently flew in from a country that your destination is not on friendly terms with? Now that can get annoying.
Customs can be a problem anywhere: This is usually what travelers dread the most. It can be a slow process and different countries also do it differently. But perhaps going through Customs in the United States is the worst. In fact, even U.S. Customs agents have had trouble going through U.S. Customs. Think about that for a bit. Diplomatic passports, active Immigration and Customs Enforcement credentials, and yet they too can be delayed enough while having to go through U.S. Customs.
Handlers abroad: International travel often requires the use of handlers on the ground who can lead pilots and the aircrews through anything unfamiliar or act as the middleman when language barriers present themselves. While this is essential when needed, getting paired with a handler who is not so good at their job can slow down processes and even become costly.
Speaking of costly: Aircrews used to flying in North America may not be entirely familiar with the expenses associated with flying into other countries. As per a story shared by Ron Rapp about a pilot he used to fly with: “In Geneva, an Italian pilot with whom I used to fly reported paying more than $1,000 to have a bag of ice delivered to the aircraft.”
Preparation and working with trustworthy third parties clearly goes a long way for those that make your next flight possible.
Also, a bit more on ramp checks, check out the video below for some quick advice on what NOT to do during a ramp check: