EasyJet has refused compensation to a passenger who was wrongfully offloaded from a flight to Spain, insisting airport staff had confirmed he had “insufficient or invalid documentation” – even though his passport was valid for the journey.
Stephen Jackson, 66, was turned away from an easyJet flight at Manchester airport on Saturday morning, 12 October.
Two members of ground staff working for Britain’s biggest budget airline told him his passport was unacceptable for his flight to Alicante.
In fact, the document was perfectly valid for his golfing trip to the Costa Blanca resort of Torrevieja with three friends.
Three years ago The Independent told easyJet, along with other major airlines, the exact post-Brexit rules for British travellers to the European Union.
UK passports must meet two conditions:
- No older than 10 years on the day of outbound travel to the EU.
- At least three months to expiry date on the intended day of leaving the EU.
Mr Jackson’s passport met both conditions, yet he was turned away at Manchester airport and had to return by train to his home in Preston.
As easyJet had wrongly denied him boarding, the airline owed him £350 in cash compensation along with a refund of the return fare for the journey he was not allowed to make.
The retired aeronautical engineer applied for the compensation he was due. He assumed the airline would investgate his claim, identify the mistake and pay up.
He then contacted The Independent. EasyJet confirmed a mistake had been made and promised to recompense the passenger for his losses as well as paying statutory compensation.
But on Monday evening, easyJet told Mr Jackson in an email: “As per confirmation from our airport staff they have documented that you were refused carriage due to insufficient or invalid documentation which is required to travel with easyJet.
“Therefore, this instance of ‘Refusal of Carriage’ does not meet the eligibility criteria for Compensation claims under the Regulation guidelines.”
The rejection of Mr Jackson’s compensation claim raises serious concerns about easyJet’s complaint-handling culture. It indicates the airline had failed to investigate the case.
Had a check been made, it would have immediately become clear that ground staff working for easyJet were at…
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