Passenger warns travellers to check passport validity after being denied boarding in mistake that cost her £500
The couple said they ‘felt like criminals’ after they were escorted out of Bristol airport, and have called on airlines to do more to let customers know about the 10-year passport rule
Kass
A couple has warned other travellers to check their passports before booking trips after being refused boarding on a Jet2 flight to Greece, causing them to lose £500.
Celia Jenkins, 78, and her husband Rees, 82, were due to fly to Kefalonia from Bristol airport last week for a six-month stay at their property on the Greek island.
Despite travelling the route frequently, the couple were caught out by a passport rule that applies to British travellers since the UK left the European Union.
UK passport holders are now seen as “third-country nationals” by the EU, meaning entry rules to Schengen area countries have changed.
Travel to Europe requires that passports must be less than 10 years old, regardless of when the document expires.
When Ms and Mr Jenkins arrived at the departure gate for their flight, Jet2 staff told them that their passports were 10 years and three days old, meaning they were just over the threshold, which would result in them being denied entry into Greece.
Ms Jenkins said: “We were escorted out through border security because technically we had no passports suddenly. We felt like criminals.”
She added that the couple recognise that they had missed the fact that their passports would not be valid, but feels like the rules have not been made clear by the government nor the airline.
“We accept that our passports are three days outside the 10-year rule,” Ms Jenkins said. “We accept that. But we weren't informed clearly enough by anybody at any time. We didn't get it because we saw the expiry date rather than the date of issue as being a problem.”
She also suggested that airlines could do more to inform customers during the booking and check-in process whether or not their passport is within the 10-year rule.
Usually customers do not have to enter passport numbers and expiry dates until checking in to flights. However, you can upload your passport details on your Jet2 account ahead of check-in.
Once Ms Jenkins arrived home, she immediately applied to renew her and her husband's passports, but is not holding out hope for the new documents to come in time to meet their family in Kefalonia.
The couple’s children and grandchildren are due to travel to the island for a week-long holiday at their Greek property, but Ms and Mr Jenkins will now likely arrive after their family leave.
After paying for a night at an airport hotel and the flights, along with bus and taxi fares, Ms Jenkins predicts that she and her husband lost £500 after being denied boarding.
Despite the new passport rules applying to UK citizens since 2021, people are still getting caught with the 10-year rule as their travel documents edge closer to expiry, especially those still with burgundy EU passports.
Ms Jenkins and her husband are not the only ones who fallen foul and been turned away at the gate.
James Luton recently missed out on celebrating his 50th birthday in Portugal after Jet2 staff found he had an invalid passport issued over 10 years ago, he told BBC News in May. Last year, a ground handler for Norwegian Air at Gatwick airport claimed he was turning six people away a day for passports that did not comply with Schengen rules.
Celebrated children’s author Michael Rosen recently missed an awards ceremony in Italy for also having an out-of-date passport.
There have also been cases where passengers have presented the correct documents, but were still denied boarding due to confusion around the rule. Airlines have misinterpreted the rules and denied passengers from boarding flights.
British Airways staff turned away a couple last October after claiming that passports were not valid beyond nine years and nine months after the date of issue, yet this has never been the case.
Ms Jenkins gives advises anyone travelling out of the UK: “Don't go to the airport unless you've double-checked, because the airlines are not picking it up.”
Under post-Brexit rules, the passports of UK travellers to the European Union must meet two conditions:
The Independent has contacted Jet2, Frontex and the European Union for comment.
