Do I need a landing card

[AirHostess]

We hand out landing cards before arriving back into the UK and explain that non EU citizens have to complete them.

Every time someone goes "I'm from 'blah blah land' (not an EU country) do I need to complete a landing thingymajig?

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[One-Fang]

Maybe becaue they're not EU they're not quite sure what EU actually is and thought they'd better check?

At least you give the right cards. When I was travelling UK-NZ recently the crew gave out the wrong cards on one leg for one place. Nobody seemed to realise except that I screwed up mine and asked for another and she clarified my home nation and said "Oh no you don't need the green one, you need the blue one, here you go".

What if I'd tried handing over the green one on landing?! Twit.

(Note: I don't remember the colours, so don't try working out what forms it was from that.)

[bainsidhe]

Well to be honest, the last time I flew internationally was pre-9/11 and pre-EU. So being handed a card would probably confuse me. Though I'd probably ask the person sitting next to me for help, thus you probably wouldn't know I was ignorant

[Darkwish]

What exactly is a landing card? I haven't traveled internationally in a very long time, so this is the first I've heard of them.

At least I wouldn't be one of those stupid SC's you mentioned, I'm pretty sure the US isn't an EU country (at least not yet).

[auntiem]

A landing card is something you fill out for customs. The questions asked vary by country but many want you to list where you are going to be staying when in their country / how much money you are bringing in / whether or not you've visited a farm in the last 30 days. The Costa Rica card even has a spot to check if you are coming back from "doing your 72".

Most of the international flights that I've been on hands out the various cards and mentions that help / info is in the inflight magazine. Some have the instructions on the screen as the cards are being handed out. Never fails to amaze me how many people are still so lazy they ask for info they have already been given multiple times. Seriously, how hard is it to figure out your own darn self what your flight number is?

[flygirl]

I hate doing Mexican flights. Too much damn paperwork, and people always complain about the customs forms being in Spanish. Sorry, but if you're going to Mexico, you shouldn't exactly expect everything to be translated into English. I remember one flight, when about 25 different people asked me if I had a certain form in English, (it doesn't come in English). I was so fucking annoyed by it, I thought to myself, "If ONE more person asks me if I have the form in English, I'm gonna scream." About a minute later, when I called to check in on the pilots, they asked me if I had the form in English.

[Chromatix]

I actually think it's perfectly reasonable for forms to be provided in English as well as the destination's native language. English is the lingua franca of the business world, and there are many English-speaking tourists - doubly so for a country like Mexico that borders one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world.

In Finland, immigration-related forms are provided in Finnish, Swedish, English, German and Russian. And maybe Estonian as well. Those cover the native languages of all of the immediately neighbouring countries, and English is the catch-all for everyone else.

[AirHostess]

Let's just without naming any nationalities these people are from countries that deffo are not in the European Union! We also make a PA before going through with the landing cards. It's scary how some people have no knowledge of geography or common sense...yet manage to get a passport!

[Lingering Grin]

I hate doing Mexican flights. Too much damn paperwork, and people always complain about the customs forms being in Spanish. Sorry, but if you're going to Mexico, you shouldn't exactly expect everything to be translated into English. I remember one flight, when about 25 different people asked me if I had a certain form in English, (it doesn't come in English). I was so fucking annoyed by it, I thought to myself, "If ONE more person asks me if I have the form in English, I'm gonna scream." About a minute later, when I called to check in on the pilots, they asked me if I had the form in English.

I have to ask though... how are people expected to fill it out if they can't read it?

Do they just leave it blank at that point? and if so... why give it out in the first place if they can just not fill it out?

[DaDairyDruid]

If its for Customs, im sure its just general information, Name, Country of origin, how long you plan on staying, purpose of visit, anything to declare, etc. I am sure that it should be easy enough to figure out, regardless of langusage.

[Lingering Grin]

If its for Customs, im sure its just general information, Name, Country of origin, how long you plan on staying, purpose of visit, anything to declare, etc. I am sure that it should be easy enough to figure out, regardless of langusage.

...unless you don't read that language?

Unlike a lot of people... I never took Spanish in high school... I took sign language.

Therefore, I don't speak Spanish, I don't read Spanish, and if I was given a form in Spanish, I wouldn't understand what it said... how can I be expected to fill it out?

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

...unless you don't read that language?

Unlike a lot of people... I never took Spanish in high school... I took sign language.

Therefore, I don't speak Spanish, I don't read Spanish, and if I was given a form in Spanish, I wouldn't understand what it said... how can I be expected to fill it out?

Heck I'm Canadian, I never had a need for Spanish, but now that I deal with Latino customers regularly I'm tempted to learn some.

[flygirl]

I have to ask though... how are people expected to fill it out if they can't read it?

Do they just leave it blank at that point? and if so... why give it out in the first place if they can just not fill it out?

Well, I have my inflight manual, which has the translations in it, so I'll go around and help people fill the forms out. They have to fill the forms out. The Mexican government is very strict and stingy about these things, and they can fine us if people aren't bringing in the right paperwork. I just find it amusing that people are SHOCKED when a form comes only in Spanish. God forbid it's not in English! I understand that not everyone speaks Spanish, hell I don't speak it at all, but when you're going to a SPANISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY, don't be surprised if not everything is translated in to English.

Heck I'm Canadian, I never had a need for Spanish, but now that I deal with Latino customers regularly I'm tempted to learn some.

I much prefer the Canadian flights! One little customs form, and that's it, and it's in both French and English, so pretty much everyone is covered.

[Jester]

I much prefer the Canadian flights! One little customs form, and that's it, and it's in both French and English, so pretty much everyone is covered.

Well, except the Mexicans, that is.

[Lingering Grin]

I understand that not everyone speaks Spanish, hell I don't speak it at all, but when you're going to a SPANISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY, don't be surprised if not everything is translated in to English.

I don't... however, a customs form takes place BETWEEN countries, so it would make sense that it, at least, comes in the languages spoke in those countries.

If I was flying between the US and Japan, I would expect custom forms in English and Japanese, if I was flying from Germany to Finland, I would expect German and Finnish.

It just makes sense... you KNOW people are coming from a country with a different language... shouldn't you provide the info that is being given out (while BETWEEN the two countries), in that countries language as well as your own?


Note: This is directed more at the people who created the forms, not the flight attendants giving them out.