Ryanair did not allow a passenger with a valid passport to board a flight to Spain: reasons
A British citizen at London Luton Airport was unable to board a flight to the Spanish city of Alicante. The man was denied boarding despite having a valid passport that met all the necessary requirements.
The man told a journalist from the Independent about the unfortunate incident. According to him, he was denied boarding by the airport's ground staff because his passport was issued on December 11, 2013, with a deadline of July 11, 2024, Birmingham Live reports.
Passenger Mark Starkey said: "The ground staff member pointed out that my passport only had 3 days left on it from the date it was issued, as per the 10-year rule. I said I knew and that this was my last trip of the year before I renewed my passport."
According to him, the airport employee decided to consult with Ryanair's immigration team on the matter, and eventually the passport was declared invalid and the man was denied a flight. Mark Starkey tried to speak to senior immigration officials, but the woman explained that she was a supervisor, and therefore, according to Starkey, she did not allow him to speak to the staff.
After the incident, the man returned home and booked a flight with easyJet. The next day, he reached Spain without any problems.
"We sincerely regret that this passenger was mistakenly denied travel by a service agent at Luton Airport who mistakenly believed that the passenger's passport was not valid for travel to the EU," Ryanair commented on the situation and added that: "A member of our customer service team will be contacting this passenger regarding the error made by our service agent at Luton Airport."
