Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
    
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
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Possible Free 7 Day FM-T Scam
A few recent threads have been posted dealing with the issue of the validity of one's Mexican Auto Insurance in the absence of a valid FM-T. Other
threads have dealt with the issue of FM-2 and FM-3 holders seeking to get reimbursed from the airlines for the visa charge that is automatically built
into the ticket price.
Given that there is a "free" seven day FM-T available at the border immigration offices, I was wondering if just perhaps, since a majority of vacation
travel to Mexico is of a seven day or less duration, that the airlines might be pocketing the fees many people paid for what would be, according to
Mexican law, free. Perhaps I may be a tad cynical. But I remember the days when it was up to the individual traveler to work out their visa
arrangements. So, just perhaps, what appears on the surface to be a service convenience provided by the airlines, may just be an additional source of
revenue to them, since a majority of their bookings involve vacationers who spend seven or less days in Mexico. I don't expect that there are any
folks on this board who work for Alaska airlines, but it certainly would be interesting to be able to get to the bottom of this.
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sancho
Ultra Nomad
   
Posts: 2524
Registered: 10-6-2004
Location: OC So Cal
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In the past, and it may still be true, not sure though,
at the TJ Airport they would issue a free 7 day fmt,
one could fly to the interior, most air Gringo Vacation
Packages are for 7 nts, there is the rub,
the free fmt is for 6 nts , 7 days, whether by design
or not , the free fmt is often 1 nt short of
some average vacations, if that was intentional
my hats off to Mex IMM
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David K
Honored Nomad
       
Posts: 65410
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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7 day free: It is for land travelers... airline FM-Ts are a different 'can o'worms', pre-charged in your ticket price...
It's all about dinero... and it only hurts the people in Mexico who make a living on tourism, as the this tourist tax deters business and the money is
never used to help small business.
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