Meeting someone in Punta Cana

[HigherGround]

As you will discover, once you get into this game of flying FSU women around the world 
there are, as far as I can tell, really 4 types of travel restrictions that they will face...which most
americans and europeans do not need to deal with.
1. Where she does not need any kind of visa (places like Turkey, Egypt...)
2. Where she needs a stamp and this depends on the country she is from and where she is going
(like to Domincan Republic or Thailand, its usually a formality to pay your 20$ in the airport, no big deal
3. A Shengen or similar difficulty visa. This generally works best if you purchase a travel package from
a travel agent in the FSU country and that agent , for a fee, gets a Shengen Visa for her (usually 2 week duration)
4. The "impossible to get visa" such as USA, and a step down in difficulty might be Great Britain

You probably know all this. As for transit visas, you generally want to avoid them. They are unpredictable.
However, certain airports in the european union, NOT ALL, will not require any transit visa for her.
They are used to international travellers going from Terminal A to B and etc. Frankfurt and Paris are examples.
If not these airports, then you can contact the carrier to find out if she can avoid a visa. I found out the hard
way that Vienna was not an airport that allowed this....
And, unfortunately, the least expensive fares to the Carribean from Europe are on US carriers connecting
in the USA. There is NO WAY that she will be given a transit visa. In fact i dont even know if they are ever issued.
The US is just paranoid and tough as nails about this issue. Unlike Air France, you will find that calling an US based
airline will give you someone who is less familiar with this issue and may give you misinformation.
So, beyond the expense added to deal with this, you want to avoid traumatizing the girl if she ends up in some
limbo in the airport, especially as most of these women likely have never been on an airplane ride more than a
couple hours duration.

[ML]

Yes, I understand and believe what you write.

However, I still  don't understand why Paris and Frankfurt would allow this when (most)  other airports in (most) other countries do not.

And, what about the poor gal who arranges to go through Paris or Frankfurt and, upon arrival, finds that these two airports have 'seen the light' and are now following the rules of the rest of the  airports?

So until someone can give a reasonable explanation of this Paris-Frankfurt anomaly, it seems pretty risky to assume it will continue.

[HigherGround]

I have tried to outline the realities in the ever evolving world of international travel.
There isnt much to gain by trying to figure out the geopolitics between polices in
Rome, Paris or Bucharest. You just need to ask the right questions; do your homework.
If you feel this is still too risky then this game might not suit your temperament,
which is fine too... just visit her in her native country.

There is a perfectly serviceable beach on the Dniper River in Kiev at HidroPark.
The water is a bit radioactive, but its warm

[ML]

I have tried to outline the realities in the ever evolving world of international travel.
There isnt much to gain by trying to figure out the geopolitics between polices in
Rome, Paris or Bucharest. You just need to ask the right questions; do your homework.
If you feel this is still too risky then this game might not suit your temperament,
which is fine too... just visit her in her native country.

There is a perfectly serviceable beach on the Dniper River in Kiev at HidroPark.
The water is a bit radioactive, but its warm

Oooops . . . you were doing great with your info, but you are getting a little off track when you start to assume and give advice as to my background and experience with FSU folks.

Read a little about each participant here before you  make such judgements.   

I ask many questions here, many of which have nothing to do with my personal situation, but rather I am either (1) too curious about many things or (2) wanting to pass on info to friends, etc.

But again, thanks for your relevant info.

[Faux Pas]

Yes, I understand and believe what you write.

However, I still  don't understand why Paris and Frankfurt would allow this when (most)  other airports in (most) other countries do not.

And, what about the poor gal who arranges to go through Paris or Frankfurt and, upon arrival, finds that these two airports have 'seen the light' and are now following the rules of the rest of the  airports?

So until someone can give a reasonable explanation of this Paris-Frankfurt anomaly, it seems pretty risky to assume it will continue.

Some airports have "airport transit areas" This is a secured and controlled area of the airport where one can de-board an arriving plane and stay in the transit area without having to go through PP control and customs and go directly to the next flight. DeGauille in one such airport. Hong Kong is another. It's not a matter of East/West or even politics. Some airport's host airlines require "airport transit areas' most do not. I do not know of any US airport that has one.

[LAman]

Some airports have "airport transit areas" This is a secured and controlled area of the airport where one can de-board an arriving plane and stay in the transit area without having to go through PP control and customs and go directly to the next flight. DeGauille in one such airport. Hong Kong is another. It's not a matter of East/West or even politics. Some airport's host airlines require "airport transit areas' most do not. I do not know of any US airport that has one.

To add a little to FP post.....Paris airport has what is called a 'restricted zone', when all can use to proceed to connecting flights without leaving restricted area, just board a tram and it will take you to your desired area 2A-2F. All this should be done in Terminal 2.
Not as familiar with Frankfurt but I do know you have to be careful if you change terminals because they are not close together( need to use buses) and you can end up with hassle to leave country!!!! I made a wrong turn one time and had to go through immigration control.....

[ML]

I guess I have been mistaken; because I thought most all International airports had such transit areas and restricted zones.

[CanadaMan]

As you will discover, once you get into this game of flying FSU women around the world 
there are, as far as I can tell, really 4 types of travel restrictions that they will face...which most
americans and europeans do not need to deal with.

I would restate this as:
There is really only one travel restriction: a visa. You either need one or you don't.

Your examples:
1. No visa required
2. 'Tourist card'  Dom. Rep., can be purchased at the airport in Dom. Rep. but most travel agents provide these to you before you leave your country.
3. Shengen visa, special European visa.
4. US, Great Britain visas. You can add virtually all 1st world countries to this list.

[CanadaMan]

To add a little to FP post.....Paris airport has what is called a 'restricted zone', when all can use to proceed to connecting flights without leaving restricted area, just board a tram and it will take you to your desired area 2A-2F. All this should be done in Terminal 2.

I just wanted to add a note here about the restricted zones at airports.
They can turn into a nightmare for those who aren't prepared for them.

I had a friend travel through Paris en route to  the Caribbean a few years ago.
They couldn't speak English or French.
They had the required tourist card for the destination country.

When they departed the plane in Paris they were met by agents who cherry picked various passengers.
My friend was a visible minority at the airport.
My friend was escorted into an office and was forced to stay there for seven hours.
Only escorted washroom breaks were permitted.

Now for the icing on the cake. My friend's passport and tourist card were taken away upon entry into the office area.
When they were released and escorted to the departure gate, only their passport was returned. My friend didn't notice that they had kept the tourist card until after boarding the plane.

So to add insult to injury, besides the seven hour nightmare at the Paris airport, my friend and I had to undergo a three plus hour delay at the final destination, dealing with the missing tourist card, red tape etc..