A couple who were denied their £4,000 holiday after passport issues at the airport have spoken out as a warning to other travellers. Dr Bob Banks, a scientist, was due to give a talk in Munich this week, from which he was planning to travel on to Milan with his wife, Gillian, for their first break since before the pandemic.
But, as they were about to board their KLM flight from Newcastle Airport last Friday staff working for Swissport on behalf of the airline told Dr Banks at the departure gate that his passport was not valid. He was told he could not board the plane.
The confusion is in relation to new rules that have come into effect since the UK left the EU, reports ChronicleLive. Dr Banks, 74, who lives in Durham, said: "This as much a warning to other people than just about how upset and frustrated we've been."
The rules for travel to what is known as the Schengen area state that a passport should be valid for three months after your return from holiday. It also needs to have been issued within the previous 10 years. Dr Banks' passport was issued on August 12, 2012, and had an expiry date of April 5, 2023, so he believed he was OK.
He said: "My passport was initially looked at by a trainee, who was going to let me through, but a senior member of staff looked over the trainee's shoulder at my passport said it wasn't valid for travel.
"The explanation was that due to the rule changes in January, the expiry date was simply 10 years after the date of issue, not the date given in the passport, which clearly stated its expiry date to be April 5, 2023."
Dr Banks said they were mistaken and that he had looked into the matter before they had booked their tickets. "The Swissport staff would not be moved and we had no alternative but to return home," he said.
"It was awful. We were both looking forward so much to our first holiday in such a long time, a chance to see old friends, and we didn't even make it through the departure gates."
Dr Banks is a respected scientist and expert in neurobiology who still holds Visitor status at Durham University. He had been invited to give a talk at a prestigious science meeting in Munich this week and had decided to mix business with pleasure by taking Gillian, 74, too.
After the talk, where Dr Banks was to meet friends and scientist peers face-to-face for the first time since the Covid pandemic, he and Gillian were to journey on to Milan in Italy for a holiday. With flights and hotel reservations, they say the trip had cost them £4,000 to £5,000.
Gillian said: "We questioned our sanity when we checked again the passport advice and we firmly believe we are correct."
A Swissport spokesperson said: “ We understand how frustrating this is for this passenger, but when it comes to passports we have a responsibility to follow EU and airline policies. Unfortunately, according to those policies, this passport would expire in August so was not valid for the required three months when travelling to the EU.”
The company also included background information for its decision. It said according to the EU, a passport is valid for 10 years from the date of issue and that the date of expiry is less important for the EU than the date of issue and it does not include/recognise extra months added to validity when passports are renewed early.
It stated that when travelling to the EU, the passport needs to be valid for three more months from the day you depart, e.g. the day Dr Banks boarded the plane to Munich. They claim that in the eyes of the EU, the passport expires on August 12, 2022, so was only valid for three weeks after departure instead of the required three months.
However, it included a link to the UK Government website giving advice about travelling to Germany. It said passports must be issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’) and, separately, that it must also valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’). This appears to agree with what Dr Banks and his wife's understanding of what the rules are.
The Swissport spokesperson added an investigation was ongoing into the decision to refuse Dr Banks entry onto the flight.
They added: "We are aware a passenger travelling from Newcastle International Airport to Amsterdam Schipol Airport on July 22 was denied boarding on the basis their travel documents did not meet airline and EU requirements. We are investigating the circumstances surrounding this decision and we will be in touch with the passenger to explain the decision once this process is complete."
