What does Flight Pending Government Approval mean?
When searching on Orbitz for round-trip flights, I see a number of results with this note highlighted in yellow when expanding Flight Details:
"This flight is pending government approval."
What does that mean? How does the likelihood that such flight will occur compared to other flights along the same route? What should I expect if it does not occur, compared to the cancellation of a flight without that note?
Best Answer
It quite literally means that the airline is planning on launching an international route, but can't legally operate the flight until various government approvals are received. In international flights, the originating and destination countries must agree to grant an airline the right to operate a route (often including the departure and arrival time slots as well).
You also ask:
How does the likelihood that such flight will occur compared to other flights along the same route?
That's for you to decide; for me, if the airline is a major one (e.g., BA, AA, CX, JL), I'd figure the likelihood is quite high and would and have booked tickets before final approval.
What should I expect if it does not occur, compared to the cancellation of a flight without that note?
You should be treated the same, meaning that if you have a paid ticket, the airline will offer you a full refund or reaccommodation on another flight.
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What does it mean if a flight is subject to government approval?
2021/12/13\u2022FAQ [International]What does "government approval pending" mean? This flight is reserved and released, but it's on the premise of approval from the relevant authorities when launching new routes and special flights.What does it mean flight pending?
Reservations show \u201cPENDING\u201d status when they have been ordered but not yet completely processed on our end. Generally speaking, it takes us between 5 minutes and 24 hours to fully process an order.What does it mean when a flight is unconfirmed?
Unconfirmed status indicates the reservation has not had any payments taken against it yet. This status can reflect new reservations where a deposit is yet to be paid.TRAVELING WHILE CASE IS PENDING WITH USCIS
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