by Passport validity rules for travelers from the UK to destinations around the world are easy to find through official sources – particularly travel advice from the Foreign Office.
But airlines continue to ruin holiday plans by falsely claiming that a passenger’s passport is not valid for travel.
British Airways is the latest. BA ground staff at London Gatwick turned away a fully documented Scottish passenger for a two-week holiday in Florida.
The airline has now apologised, saying: “There was a human error by one of our colleagues and we are in contact with our customer to apologize and make it right.”
A few hours later at the same check-in, another BA customer was told he couldn’t go on a golf weekend. Again, British Airways
Erroneous decisions by BA staff to deny boarding to passengers follows many cases where travelers have been wrongly diverted to the European Union.
or months, easyJet and Ryanair imposed rules of their own invention to turn away passengers with valid passports. Both airlines now comply with EU regulations.
But why does any airline refuse to board a passenger who adheres to the red tape to their destination – and what can you do if it happens to you?
Here are the main questions and answers.
What are the latest problems?
Friday 20 September 2024 was not a great day for the ground staff working for British Airways at Gatwick airport. First they turned Kathleen Matheson, 62 years old, from her flight to Orlando in Florida. She was on a two-week trip carrying a UK passport valid for travel to the US (and many other countries) until November.
But the US BA team demanded six months of passport validity. They argued that Ms Matheson would need a new passport to board a transatlantic flight.
Ms Matheson and her husband Allan, 56, showed proof from the Foreign Office website that her passport was valid. The ground staff ignored the evidence.
She then called the British Airways helpline – where the agent agreed with her interpretation of US rules, but said they could not override the ground staff at Gatwick.
BA has now apologized for the extraordinary sequence of events.
The unfairly denied boarding cost the couple thousands of pounds in lost bookings and extra expenses, and they are now hoping to get back from British Airways – along with statutory compensation.
They traveled two days later on a Virgin Atlantic flight to Orlando, having lost 48 hours of a fortnight’s holiday due to BA’s decision. Ms Matheson said she was “overwhelmed by what happened”.
Four hours after they missed the link, golfer David Muir was told he would not be going on a special retirement holiday to Andalusia. British Airways staff devised a rule saying his passport was not valid for Spain when he turned nine years and nine months old. There has never been such a rule.
Mr Muir, from Oxford, missed the holiday entirely. BA has apologized for the “human error” that led to his rejection.
Read more: EasyJet missed six opportunities to admit wrongly turning away a passenger
Aren’t Brexit usually associated with passport problems?
Yes. After the UK voted to leave the European Union and the government discussed making British travelers “third country nationals”, two conditions came into play:
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A British passport cannot be more than 10 years old on the day of entry into the EU.
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The passport must have at least three months remaining before the expiry date on the intended day of departure for the EU.
As The Independent verified at the time, these rules are independent of each other. So a traveler whose passport was issued on 1 January 2015 and is valid until 1 July 2025 can enter the European Union (or the wider Schengen Area) on 31 December 2024 and stay up to 90 days.
Inexplicably, easyJet, Ryanair and other travel firms – as well as the UK government and some media – have interfered with these two conditions, falsely claiming that “passports expire after 10 years”.
Europe’s biggest budget airlines imposed a made up rule that no British passport could be accepted for travel to the EU more than nine years and nine months after its date of issue. They unfairly denied boarding to thousands of passengers, who then had to compensate, before they finally arrived according to the actual rules.
Read more: Air passenger compensation: What are your rights when a flight goes wrong?
Why would airlines be so eager to turn passengers away?
Airlines can be fined thousands of pounds if they allow someone to board a plane without the correct paperwork for their destination. The standard Customs and Border Protection fine for an airline “carrying an alien without a valid passport to the United States” is $5,851 (£4,384) per passenger.
In addition, the airline will have to fly the passenger back as soon as possible. If the next flight is full, a booked traveler may have to be offloaded to make room for the westbound.
Ground staff at international airports face a huge challenge in ensuring that passengers are properly documented. They must interpret rules for multiple destinations for travelers with passports issued by any of nearly 200 countries.
They are assessed in a high-pressure environment, with the clock ticking until the flight’s departure time.
It is not surprising that sometimes the staff is on the alert. In an uncertain situation, they may decide to turn away passengers rather than risk the wrath of their bosses for putting thousands of pounds on the airline.
Read more: ‘You’re off the plane’: British Airways under fire for breaking key rule turning away overbooked passengers
To err is human, and is the odd mistake understandable with so much complexity?
Yes – even before Brexit, UK airlines occasionally wrongly turned away passengers with valid British passports on their way to Continental Europe.
But it is mystifying that BA, which flies thousands of UK citizens to the US every day, should have a document check team that does not know the most basic rule: that America has no minimum validity requirement for a British passport.
A person whose passport was issued on 1 April 2014 and is valid until 1 January 2025 can fly to the US on New Year’s Eve 2024.
Read more: I’m a dual passport holder – but which one should I use?
What happens if I am wrongly denied boarding?
Always remain polite. First, study the rules as stated here for Europe and here for many other countries to make sure you are properly documented. If you are sure of your status, invite the ground staff to see for themselves.
For the United States specifically, this document from Customs and Border Protection makes it clear that “UK citizens only need to have a passport that is valid for their intended period of stay”.
If these approaches don’t work, ask a supervisor or manager to judge. You could even, as Mrs. Mathan did, call the airline’s customer service line.
Still no progress? Politely ask the member of staff on the ground to put in writing the reason you are denied boarding. Some travelers have found that the mind of the airline personnel has been focused on, then reversed their original decision.
Read more: Why those airport boarding times matter – even if your flight is running late
Despite everything, I have turned away …
The best way to salvage your trip – and to demonstrate that you have been unfairly treated – is to get another seat on another airline, ideally on the same day from the same departure port, that is ready to take you .
The cost of your ticket may be prohibitively high. Assuming you are correct, you will be able to claim back the additional costs you incur as a direct result of the airline’s decision to deny you boarding.
Will I get compensation – and compensation for lost money?
If you have been denied boarding against your will from a flight leaving the UK or the EU, despite having the correct documentation, you are entitled to £220 for a journey of 1,500km or less, £520 for trips over 3,500km, and £350. for anything in between.
In addition, the airline should compensate you for costs incurred directly as a result of the failure to allow you to travel.
If you’ve lost a package holiday because you’ve been wrongly denied boarding, the tour operator has the legal responsibility to reimburse you – and the airline is likely to reimburse the cost. But that’s not your problem.
Read more: Have I found the worst airport public transport link?
