How to search for a flight when dates and cities are flexible but non-direct flights must not pass through a particular country?

10/4/2016 4:13:30 PM

Kayak.com also offers this exact functionality. To search for flight route from A to B, but not transiting through X/Y/Z,

  • Search flight as usual.
  • Once you are on results page, there are search filters on left of the page.
  • Find the filter labeled as Layover Airports (Click more filters if required), and deselect the layover airports you do not want. Good thing is all these layover airports are also grouped by Country. (means all airports in America will be in one group, & etc etc.)
  • Uncheck all the airports you do not want to transit through.
  • …..
  • Profit!!

Some Reasons why this might require:

  • USA/Canada treats anybody with Indian Passport asking for transit visa against the same requirements as standard tourist visa. Many flights from Delhi to Trinidad/Panama transits in Canada/US.
  • Indian Passport holders, going from non-schengen to non-schengen, but transiting at AMS does not need Holland transit visa, but transiting through CDG needs French transit visa. E.G. Delhi to Panama flights always transit at either/or LHR/AMS/CDG, only AMS allows TVOW (transit Without a Visa, to Holders of Onward Tickets), whereas France/UK does not (some exceptions: Holders of Visa/residency of US/Canada/UK/Ireland etc), .
  • If one takes a loan in Gulf Countries, & does not pay it back, & run away; then any time in future he transits through one of the gulf airports, much likely chance is that one will be arrested & prosecuted for that crime.

Edit:

Reader advised to not default on loans (and then run away) on any country, not only [assumed persian] Gulf. (Thanks to Mindwin‘s comment)

10/3/2016 9:00:28 AM

Yes, the ITA Matrix supports the undocumented l: syntax in the routing specifier to search by location. You can use l:nXX to search by ISO country code (n for nation), and then add the negation symbol ~ to invert this. Putting it altogether you want ~l:nUS* to mean, possibly transit at any number of points, but none in the United States.

See this thread on FlyerTalk for a little more information.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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