Denied boarding by flydubai in Bangkok because "UAE immigration refused entry" — no reason given, no refund.
Posting this as a warning, and to ask whether anyone else has experienced the same.
On 5 October, my wife and I arrived on time at Bangkok Don Mueang to check in for flydubai FZ1584 to Dubai. We were connecting in Dubai to a separate flight home.
At the counter, staff told us we could not board because UAE immigration had denied our entry. That was all. They showed us a laminated, pre-printed "Important Travel Advisory" card in Chinese, Thai and English, saying entry was denied and we should contact the UAE embassy. No individual reason. No written confirmation with our names on it. When we insisted on a written statement, they threatened to call the police.
Some context:
- We hold Chinese passports, which are visa-exempt for the UAE.
- No criminal record, no overstays, no immigration issues anywhere, ever.
- We had valid onward tickets and everything in order.
What bothers me most is that card. It was printed in advance, in Chinese. That means this happens often enough that flydubai prepared a standard notice for it. Yet nothing at booking, in pre-flight emails, or during online check-in warns Chinese travellers about this risk. Had we known, we would simply have chosen a different route.
The staff at the counter told us we would get a full refund. Later, when our booking platform contacted flydubai, they refused to refund the ticket!
So we lost the ticket, our connection home was ruined, and we had to pay for new flights via a different country at the last minute.
After this happened, I found many similar reports online from Chinese travellers, mostly men age from 18~44, flying from Bangkok to the UAE. Travellers of the same nationality departing from other cities seem to have no issue. If there is a route-based screening of Chinese passengers, it is not published anywhere, and passengers are left to find out at the counter.
My questions:
- Has anyone else been denied by UAE pre-screening on flydubai or Emirates from Bangkok?
- Did anyone manage to get a refund, through the airline, a chargeback, or a regulator complaint?
Will update if anything comes of my complaint.