A tourist heading to Tenerife was turned away from Birmingham Airport after being caught out by a common passport rule, leaving him nearly £1,000 out of pocket. Terry Winter, 56, from Oxford, was set to travel with his wife Molly, 62, when his passport failed the scan at check-in.
What Happened at the Airport?
On the morning of Friday, 12 June, the couple arrived at Birmingham Airport for their easyJet flight. They had already checked in online and printed boarding passes. However, when Terry scanned his passport at the self-service kiosk, an error appeared. An easyJet staff member informed him: 'Your passport is not valid.'
Although Terry's passport had not expired, it had been issued more than 10 years earlier, which means it no longer meets EU entry requirements under post-Brexit regulations. Terry said, 'I didn't know about this rule. I was shocked.'
Widespread Issue
Terry noted that two other passengers were also turned away for the same reason at the same time. 'This isn't just a one-off thing,' he said. A similar incident occurred last week when a mother of three was unable to board an easyJet flight to Greece due to the same passport mistake, costing her nearly £700.
Terry expressed surprise that he had not been warned earlier. He booked the holiday in January and entered his passport details on the easyJet website, which accepted them without issue. When he re-entered his details three weeks before the flight, no warning was given. 'It didn't flag anything again, and my boarding passes were downloaded,' he said.
When Terry asked an easyJet staff member how often this happens, they replied, 'It happens daily with a lot of people.'
Emergency Passport and Extra Costs
Left 'frazzled' at the airport, Terry had no choice but to book an emergency appointment with His Majesty's Passport Office for a one-day premium passport. His wife, whose passport was valid, stayed in the UK to support him. On Monday, 15 June, they traveled to Peterborough for the appointment, where Terry received a new passport after a few hours. He then rebooked flights to Tenerife for Tuesday, 16 June.
Terry estimates the additional costs amount to nearly £1,000, including £40 in extra fuel, £50 for the Peterborough hotel, nearly £100 for another night at the airport hotel, around £400 for two one-way flights to Tenerife, and £239.50 for the new passport. He also lost about £400 on the original flights.
EasyJet's Response
Terry noted that on Saturday, 13 June, the day after his missed flight, he received a generic email from easyJet reminding passengers to check travel documents. 'Well, that's pointless. The day after, you've already lost your flight,' he said.
An easyJet spokesperson said: 'Unfortunately, Mr Winter was unable to fly as his passport did not meet passport validity rules. We remind customers during booking, check-in and by email before they travel to ensure they are aware of the travel documentation requirements for their trip, and it is customers’ responsibility to ensure they have valid documentation for travel.'
EasyJet's website includes a dedicated page warning about passport rules for EU travel. It states that UK passports must be valid for at least three months after the planned departure from the EU and must be no more than 10 years old on the date of travel.
For more information, visit the UK government's advice page.
