Latest news with #HenleyPassportIndex
News18
13 hours ago
- News18
‘Stuck In A Capsule While They Enjoy Luxury': Indian Woman On Passport Bias
Last Updated: After a flight delay caused her to miss her connection from Frankfurt, the airlines provided a very small, simple room with hardly any facilities. Travelling often opens our eyes to global disparities—and one Indian woman recently experienced this first-hand due to her passport. After a delay caused her to miss her connecting flight from Frankfurt, she found herself stranded at a German airport. While passengers holding U.S. passports were accommodated in luxurious hotels with complimentary meals, she was assigned a tiny capsule room with minimal facilities. Sharing her experience on Instagram, she wrote, 'I never really cared about my passport until now. My flight from Frankfurt got missed because the connecting flight was delayed. So while other passengers are getting free stays at five-star hotels, free breakfast and free dinners, I am stuck here, in this stupid capsule. Any other US citizen in my position would have been so happy because they just got free everything and twenty hours to explore a new country, but not me because I have an Indian passport." She captioned the post with a simple but powerful question: 'Why this partiality?" Reacting to the post, a user wrote, 'I cried at the VFS office while getting my Schengen visa. I'm giving up my Indian passport the first chance I get." Another shared, 'I want to complain about the policies of the current government, but then I remember the civic sense of my people." 'I am sorry to hear that, but perks on missed flights are based on the passport. It's based on airline policy, subject to you having a visa, in the country where you missed your connecting flight. I have stayed in a good 5-star hotel with pickup and drop from Turkish Airlines back in 2022," a comment read. An individual informed, 'So you didn't have a Schengen visa, which is required to get into the country. If you did, you'd get all those said benefits. This isn't about your Indian passport." Another mentioned, 'At least you got a capsule, I have seen people just sleeping on the benches of German airports." One more added, 'Congratulations you have just understood how underrated our damn passport, and dipping in rank each year." Currently, India is ranked 82nd on the Henley Passport Index. In comparison, the United States holds the 10th position on the same list. First Published: July 01, 2025, 14:17 IST
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Ranked 100th – Celebrate Like #1
After a year of economic turbulence, Pakistan's economy seems to have crawled out of intensive care. Inflation has cooled. The current account is no longer haemorrhaging. The rupee has stopped fainting. The doctors in charge—whoever and wherever they are—deserve a polite golf clap. Of course, deep structural flaws remain, and the recent budget did little to suggest reformist ambitions, but that's a story for another day. For now, it's fair to say: things were bad, they're less bad now. Celebrate? Sure. Overstate? Apparently, yes. Fabricate? Why not! One might assume that a government enjoying full-spectrum dominance—with the judiciary nodding, the military saluting, and the opposition napping—wouldn't need to invent good news. There's real stuff to work with. But Islamabad, ever the overachiever in narrative control, just can't help itself. Take, for instance, the recent spectacle over the Henley Passport Index. The Government of Pakistan's official X account proudly declared, 'Pakistan's Passport Earns Global Recognition', hailing it as a 'notable milestone in Global Mobility.' Sounds impressive—until you read the fine print: Pakistan ranks 100th out of 103. Only Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan are below. Global mobility, indeed—just not forward. Officials even credited 'new e-gates' at domestic airports for this international breakthrough. One imagines a team of bureaucrats proudly scanning their own passports at Islamabad Airport and calling it a visa-free success. Never mind that Pakistan's 'global mobility' score of 32 means visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to just 32 countries—a list that could double as a geography quiz most Pakistanis would fail. Go ahead, try finding Tuvalu, Niue, or Palau Islands on a map—or even spelling them. When your mobility milestone includes access to Vanuatu, Micronesia, and Montserrat, the only thing moving globally is the punchline. Faced with ridicule, the post vanished. Deleted. No clarification. No accountability. Just a digital puff of wait—there's more. Another round of chest-thumping emerged from a supposed 'Bloomberg Intelligence Global Emerging Market Default Risk Ranking,' where Pakistan, topped the chart. Yes, Pakistan's default risk outlook has improved. Credit default swaps have narrowed. Ratings agencies have softened their tone. But why let nuance get in the way of a perfectly viral slogan? By no stretch of imagination does this indicate Pakistan being the 'most improved economy' in the world as headlines have had it. It would be funny, if it weren't so tragic. Because here's the real scoreboard: 44 percent of Pakistanis live below the poverty line. 52 percent of households still use firewood to cook. 22 percent don't have a kitchen. 25 million children are out of school. In a country with such staggering deficits in human development, spending energy on barely believable self-congratulatory fiction should be—at best—a footnote. At worst, a farce. Here's hoping that simply pointing out the bare minimum doesn't irk the 'hybrid.' Then again, satire is only dangerous when it holds a mirror.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Indians in capsule, Americans in 5-star hotels: Does a passport decide your comfort? Woman's viral video sparks debate
An Instagram video by Indian woman based in New York turned into a serious conversation online, highlighting the limitations of Indian passports in global travel. After a missed flight left her stranded in Germany, her lack of visa barred her from exploring the country, unlike U.S. citizens. Netizens shared mixed reactions, sparking a broader dialogue on passport privilege and fairness. Anisha Arora, an Indian woman based in New York, went viral for a reel lamenting the limited privileges of her Indian passport after missing a connecting flight in Frankfurt. (Representational image: iStock) Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Not just about nationality, but mobility Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Support, satire, and some strong counterpoints What started as a humorous Instagram reel has now sparked a serious online conversation about passport privilege immigration systems , and global mobility . Anisha Arora, an Indian woman based in New York City, recently went viral after sharing a candid video recounting her experience of being stranded in Germany following a missed connecting the now widely circulated reel, Arora documents how a delayed flight left her, along with several others, stranded in Frankfurt. While most other passengers—many of them holding U.S. passports—were provided accommodations at five-star hotels with full amenities, Arora found herself in what she called a "capsule-sized" room at the airport. The reason? Her Indian passport and the lack of a Schengen visa.'I never really cared about my passport until now,' she says in the video, visibly exhausted as she pans her phone camera to reveal the tiny space. 'Any other US citizen in my position would have been so happy because they just got free everything and 20 hours to explore a new country, but not me because I have an Indian passport.'Arora's experience underscores a larger issue: not all passports are created equal. As per the Henley Passport Index , India ranks 82nd in terms of global mobility, far behind the United States, which sits comfortably at 10th. That means fewer visa-free travel options and often more restrictions during transit or travel video captioned 'Why this partiality?' hit a nerve among Indians at home and abroad. The reel wasn't just a venting session—it became a mirror for many Indian travellers who've faced similar hurdles while navigating airports in the video set off a wave of reactions online. Some viewers expressed empathy and validated Arora's frustration.'She is right. That's how Indian passport holders are treated in almost all developed countries,' commented one user. 'You don't really understand how bad it is until you actually come to Europe or the U.S.'Others, however, pointed out that her experience may not be universally true. One user recounted a contrasting story: 'I missed my transit flight to Brisbane. The airline arranged a five-star room, gave me a new ticket, and even handed me $150 for meals and shopping. Probably because I had booked a business class ticket. Still, I'd never defame my Indian passport for views.'There were also voices urging nuance. 'It's not really about the Indian passport per se,' wrote another. 'It's about not having a visa to step outside. Even an Indian passport holder with a Schengen visa could have explored Frankfurt.'Some viewers took a more humorous view of the situation. 'I want such first-world airport problems in my life,' quipped one user, drawing hundreds of its light tone, Arora's reel has shed light on a significant issue—how global systems of privilege operate subtly, even in transit lounges and airline policies. While airlines often tailor accommodations based on visa status and immigration laws, these systems reflect broader inequalities rooted in geopolitics, diplomacy, and economic history.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian passport struggles: Woman shares how she missed flight, got no perks like Americans
An Indian woman in the United States has gone viral for an Instagram video in which she jokingly lamented her Indian passport after missing a flight. Anisha Arora filmed the video from a small hotel room that was given to her after she and several other passengers missed their connection due to a delayed flight. Blogger Anisha Arora talks about missing out thanks to an Indian passport (Instagram/@anishaaa1102) Arora said that other passengers on the missed flight got five-star hotel rooms, thanks to their American passports. She, on the other hand, had to make do with a capsule-sized room in the German airport where she was stuck after the missed connecting flight. 'I never really cared about my passport until now,' she said in her video. 'My flight from Frankfurt got missed because the connecting flight got delayed,' Arora explained, adding: 'So while other passengers are getting free stays at five star hotels and free breakfast and dinners, I am stuck in this stupid capsule.' Arora then panned her phone camera to show the length and breadth of the room, which ended almost as soon as it began. In her video, she rued about holding an Indian passport, saying that those with US passports had 20 hours in which they could go out and explore Germany. She, on the other hand, had to stay put in her small room due to not having a Schengen visa. Anisha Arora, who is based in New York City, said, 'Any other US citizen in my position would have been so happy because they just got free everything and 20 hours to explore a new country, but not me because I have an Indian passport.' India ranks 82nd on the Henley Passport Index, well below the US at the 10th spot. (Also read: Travel vlogger's rant on Indian passport goes viral: 'Har jagah entry denied')
The South African
19-06-2025
- The South African
Passport Index: SA loses access to another visa-free country
South Africa's passport power has decreased yet again, according to the latest Henley Passport Index, which revealed the newest rankings of all of the world's passports for 2025. The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world's passports according to the number of destinations their passport-holders can travel to visa-free. 'With historical data spanning 19 years, the Henley Passport Index is the only one of its kind based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.' Henley & Partners says. According to these rankings, the SA passport has dropped another spot from 50 to 51 on the list of 199 passports. The index also highlighted that South Africans can now only travel to 103 destinations, after losing visa-free travel access to Nigeria. South Africans travelling to this African nation will now require an e-visa for entry. Here are is the updated list of the top five most powerful passports: Rank Country Number of visa-free countries 1 Singapore 193 2 Japan 190 2 South Korea 190 3 Denmark 189 3 Finland 189 3 France 189 3 Germany 189 3 Ireland 189 3 Italy 189 3 Spain 189 4 Austria 188 4 Belgium 188 4 Luxembourg 188 4 Netherlands 188 4 Norway 188 4 Portugal 188 4 Sweden 188 5 Greece 187 5 New Zealand 187 5 Switzerland 187 Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
