Mark Starkey flew to Spain on easyJet after being wrongly turned away at Luton airport.
Mark Starkey flew to Spain on easyJet after being wrongly turned away at Luton airport.
Irish Airline Ryanair has publicly apologised following an incident where ground staff at Luton airport prevented a passenger from boarding a flight to Spain despite having a valid passport.
However, a supervisor at the London airport insisted that his travel document was ineligible and refused the man entry on to the plane.13, and expires on July 11, 2024.
According to post-Brexit rules, a British passport must be less than 10 years old on the day of travel to a country within the European Union and must have at least three months remaining on the planned day of return. Starkey’s passport was valid according to both of these conditions.
However, a supervisor at the London airport insisted that his travel document was ineligible and refused the man entry onto the plane.
Starkey, an educational technology executive, shed light on the incident to the Independent, revealing that he had passed through security and the departure gate check without any issues.
“The ground staff lady noted that I only had three days left on my passport from the day it was issued for the 10-year rule. I said that I knew and this was my last trip of the year before I got my passport renewed”, he told the publication.
Ryanair has since apologised to the traveller. Photo / Portuguese Gravity, Unsplash
“She waved me through and I started walking towards the plane. She then called me back and said that she wanted to double check with the immigration people at Ryanair.
“She called them and gave them my details but was stating ‘I don’t think he can fly’. She then put down the phone and said that my passport was not valid.
“I said that I disagreed and asked to speak with a manager. She said she was the supervisor and the person in charge. I asked to speak with the Ryanair immigration person but she refused – saying that only she could do this and they had said that my passport was not valid.
“I was stunned that I was completely stonewalled. I then had to try and get back through the airport.”
Starkey returned to his home in Buckinghamshire. After the Independent confirmed that his passport was valid, he booked an easyJet flight and flew to Spain the next day, using the same passport without any hitches.
In the months after the rule took effect in 2021, both Ryanair and easyJet adhered to incorrect rules. Photo / Kevin Hackert, Unsplash
During the Brexit negotiations, the UK asked for British passport holders to be treated as “third-country nationals” – the same category as people travelling from countries such as Tonga and Venezuela.
In the months after the rule took effect in 2021, both Ryanair and easyJet adhered to incorrect rules – wrongly alleging that a British passport is no longer valid after nine years and nine months.
After The Independent applied pressure on the airlines to get the rules right, both fell into line with the Brussels rules. The UK government also followed suit after it had been issuing misleading information on the topic of EU travel.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said of Starkey’s passport rejection: “We sincerely regret that this passenger was incorrectly denied travel by the handling agent at Luton airport, who wrongly believed that this passenger’s passport was not valid for travel to the EU.
“All UK nationals travelling to the EU must comply with the following entry requirements:
Passports must be issued within 10 years of the date of arrival into the EU.
The passport must be valid for at least 3 months from the return date of travel from the EU.
“A member of our Customer Service Department will contact this passenger regarding the error made by our handling agent at Luton airport.”
On top of refunding Starkey’s airfare and paying for extra transport costs he incurred along the way, Ryanair must also pay Starkey £350 ($718) in cash compensation according to European air passengers’ rights rules.
