A Durham couple have missed out on their first holiday abroad since Covid began after enduring passport hell at Newcastle Airport.
Scientist Dr Bob Banks was due to give a talk in Munich this week after which he planned to travel onto Milan with his wife Gillian for a long overdue break.
However as the couple prepared to board their KLM flight on Friday for the first leg of their journey, Swissport staff working for the Dutch airline at the departure gate said Dr Banks' passport was invalid and wouldn't let him board the plane.
The apparent confusion centres around new rules introduced this year about travel to the Schengen area - made up of the countries now in the EU. Dr Banks, 74, who lives in Durham city, said: "This as much a warning to other people than just about how upset and frustrated we've been."
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The rules say a passport should be valid for three months after your return from holiday and also need 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 well 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 has 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 12 August 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 your passport 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.
A Swissport spokesperson added an investigation is 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 22nd July 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."
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