Denied Boarding By The Militairy: A New One For Me
Intro
Well, I have had a lot happen to me over the years of traveling, such as having to pay off police officers in Somalia and countless other random occurrences. However, never in my life have I been denied boarding due to the military in a country.
I would like to mention that this is not an article placing blame anywhere; it is just an article about an interesting observation. I am a visitor to the country of Myanmar, and thus, I have no right to complain.
What Happened
Yesterday, I flew from Yangon to Heho (Shan State) with a couple of people on a business trip to visit their business. Originally, my friend was supposed to fly on the flight but couldn't due to a golf tournament that happened at the last minute. When we arrived at Yangon, we had no issue switching the names of the tickets (of course, we had to pay the fare difference as a foreigner costs a lot more than a local), and I flew off to Heho!
Well, after a lovely 24 hours exploring Shan State, we headed back to the airport to do the name switch on the ticket again. As we went to check in, the military came over, informing us that this wouldn't be possible. Supposedly, each state has its own regulations regarding "no-show" tickets, and the rule of the Shan State is that foreigners cannot book them.
After some back and forth, pulling some strings, and contacting the local offices in Yangon, the officer in charge stood forth his stance. Understandable: if this is the rule, then this is the rule. However, my question remains: it is the same military in charge of the country, so why would this not be a problem in Yangon but an issue in Heho?
Anyway, I am trying to figure out how to get to Bagan/Mandalay, as I had a business class ticket booked later today from Yangon-Mandalay, and now all flights are sold out for the next 2 days to that region! Let's see how it goes.
Final Thoughts
Rules are there for a reason, and I will respect them since there is probably a good reason behind them. However, earlier today, I was denied boarding due to the military not allowing me on the plane in Shan State, Myanmar. Let's hope I can figure out a way to Bagan today!
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