Denied boarding due to unexpected VISA requirement
I purchased a ticket that connects to Toronto via London/UK. My return track was connecting via New York/USA and London/UK.
I'm a frequent traveler, and used to connect via other countries, it was obvious that no country would require travelers to obtain a VISA to use their airports for transit.
Unfortunately, American Airlines denied my boarding at the day of traveling back to my country (October 31st), claiming that I need to apply for a VISA to transit via USA airports.
They held me responsible for such a requirement, however they didn't inform me, neither indicated such a requirement upon the time of purchasing the ticket. And they charged me $1280 to change the route to London/UK direct. This penalty was unfair, and was $250 more than the original ticket price.
I contacted AA Customer care, they denied their responsibility, and held me responsible to read about different countries policies regarding transit. Which I believe is unfair, since it's common all over the world that transit does not require VISAs since it doesn't include access to the country's lands.
How can I escalate my issue to decision makers who can take a fair judgement?
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