Can someone take your airline ticket from you?

Since there was no written agreement regarding employment and travel expenses, the person who purchased the air tickets clearly has the legal right to cancel them.

Your friend was rather foolish coming all this way without anything in writing, a costly lesson in life, but one that should be remembered in the future.

If this is a friend then you should be helping her in any way you can to find the funds to return home as soon as possible.

Cheers,
James      Expat-blog Experts Team

Yep, everything is pretty messed up but seems this is a wait and see thing ATM because the ticket is already in use. And is in her name. It's pretty sad for my friend, she spent over a week booking her in for surgery and getting kept out of ICU. Her "friend" seems to have some issues for sure.
So the plan is to go home as soon as possible. So far the only thing that was paid for was the ticket and a cell phone. I am glad I don't have friends like her. Thank you for your reply.

Ps James, I am going to help her if the ticket does not work.

Just FYI James. You are right the person who purchased the ticket owns the ticket but this is a non refundable ticket.
However the Airlines has a responsibility to get the person home if there is a good reason that they are stranded etc.
My friend told her predicament and she supplied her with this info.
If she has the details of the purchase eg. Travel agency, credit card number, password , itinerary info then the airlines can not stop a change in flight date. (She did not want to fly back on the same date) .
Since it is a non refundable ticket the non used part of the total ticket purchase goes to credit for a period of time, after that it is lost. However, it can be put towards the change of plans ticket.  So my friend just changed the date and paid a relatively small sum for that change. This all was password protected so the ticket is now safe.  I hope this is understandable because the Airlines was wonderful and helpful and my dear friend will be  home safe soon.  Best wishes and like James wrote, have everything in writing and keep details eg. Receipts, passwords and anything else. Do not let anyone hold your documents either. My daughter was a nanny in Italy and her employer took her passport. What a nightmare too. Happy travels.

Absolutely, never turn your documents over to anyone.

Your passport is without a doubt the most important travel document you own, and when you're abroad it should be protected at all costs.

While in many countries, especially in the Middle East, employers will tell you that they must hold your passport never give it up. The practice of retaining one's passport is illegal and if you have an employer who insists you should tell him/her that you will report the matter to your Embassy, then do it.

In fact, you don't even have the right to turn over your passport in the first place. A passport is first and foremost the property of the country which issues it. The passport holder really only has "secondary" ownership of the document. This is evidenced by the fact that a passport can be revoked, recalled or seized by the government that issues it.

You should never turn over your travel documents to anyone unless you are ordered to do so by a competent Court of Law.

Cheers,
James     Expat-blog Experts Team

If you cruise around Europe and you want to get off the ship in ports in Greece and Turkey and your passport is NOT from the EU, then while on the ship you need to turn in your passport to the crew, they will make a photocopy of the passport for you, and return the passport to you once the ship has visited all the ports in Greece and Turkey.  Of course you do not HAVE to turn in your passport, you just won't be getting off of the ship.

Contact the airline and get factual information.

no, nobody can take an airline ticket. it is specific to one particular person and can not be transferred. Only the person named on the ticket can cancel it.

Hope that helps

Jutta