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I'm planning to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. However, I noticed that my airline's agreement to transport passengers to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program has expired (i.e. they are listed with yellow highlight on the list of authorized carriers).

Does this mean that if the airline doesn't renew their agreement by the time of my flight, I can't travel to the U.S.? If so, will I be denied boarding on my flight with just my ESTA, or is it unlikely that the airline will notice? If it doesn't notice, will I be denied entry into the U.S.?

Also, if any of the above, will I be able to claim a refund from the airline, since it's their fault that they didn't renew their agreement on time?

(Most highlighted airlines there are very minor carriers unlikely to transport a large number of VWP nationals, but I noticed Air France was listed as expired, so that prompted me to ask. This question is not specifically referring to Air France, however; it is referring to any general carrier that is listed as expired on that list. For instance, Air Tahiti Nui operates between Paris and LAX, and all passengers on that flight need to clear immigration in the U.S. even though they are traveling onward internationally; it's listed as expired so French nationals traveling on its full flight to French Polynesia may need to obtain a visa.)

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    In the case of Air France, that really seem like a mistake (or some other situation, like it being combined with their corporate sibling KLM). I have never heard of a major airline serving US markets whose VWP signatory status expired (it's more conceivable for charters or corporate flight departments that fly to the US infrequently), and if it happened, it would be significant news immediately impacting thousands of people.
    – Zach Lipton
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 6:26
  • @ZachLipton Strangely, KLM is not listed as an expired carrier. I believe that it's by Air Operating Certificate, and since Air France and KLM operate using different AOCs, they are listed separately.
    – gparyani
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 6:46
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    Yeah I'm not quite sure what to make of it, but tens of thousands of people fly to the US on Air France flights every week, many of them use the Visa Waiver Program, and clearly they aren't all getting sent back to France.
    – Zach Lipton
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 7:10
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    The consequence seems to be “please remind them of the need to re-apply”...
    – jcaron
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 7:36
  • @jcaron Which I did.
    – gparyani
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 9:03

1 Answer 1

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Air France is listed as expired, but "Compagnie Francaire a/k/a Air France" is listed as up-to-date. Looks like just a paperwork/corporate reorg thing.

Added by mod: This answer did answer the question before the edit and does not need to be flagged as 'not an answer.'

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    Air France's official company name is "Société Air France".
    – gparyani
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 9:41
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    Also, this makes no attempt at answering the question. The question doesn't specifically refer to Air France, but rather to any general carrier that may be marked as expired on that sheet.
    – gparyani
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 9:59
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    Yes, because you edited your question after I posted this answer. FWIW, though, yes, of course you'd be denied boarding without a visa, or denied entry by CBP if the airline inexplicably forgot to check your documents. VWP isn't special in this regard; you are responsible for ensuring you have appropriate permission/documentation to enter a country.
    – Sneftel
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 10:16
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    @gparyani The original question looked very much like your urgent need was to find out whether your Air France flight would cause problems and that the general question was there to encourage teach-a-man-to-fish answers. Please don't edit questions in a way that makes valid answers invalid.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 10:51
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    The answer is not valid even as it pertains to AF because, as already mentioned, AF's corporate name is Société Air France.
    – fkraiem
    Commented Mar 11, 2019 at 12:01

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