A couple’s dream holiday to Tenerife turned into a costly nightmare when airport officials at Jersey Airport wrongly denied them boarding due to a misinterpretation of post-Brexit passport rules.
Grant Hardy and his wife were left approximately £4,000 out of pocket after Swissport staff incorrectly applied a non-existent rule to Mr Hardy’s passport expiry status, preventing them from boarding their Smartwings flight.
The incident occurred on 21st February when Mr Hardy, who lives in Guernsey and works for a telecom company, arrived at the airport with a passport that was valid under new EU entry regulations.
The passport, issued on 27th March 2015, had an expiry date in October 2025, offering eight months of validity beyond the couple’s planned return date of 28th February.
According to the YouGov website, you can travel up to the point your passport is ten years old, in this case 27th March 2025, as long as you have at least 3 months left on it when you return. However, this only applies to passports issued before 1st October 2018, which his was, as any passports after that date are only valid for 10 years with no extra time.
Officials refused him to travel
Despite this, an official told Mr Hardy that his passport "runs out after 10 years" and that "the additional months were not valid in the EU." This assertion contradicts the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta), which states that as long as a passport is less than 10 years old on the departure date, any extra months added from a previous passport remain valid.
Stranded overnight in Jersey, the couple had to book an additional flight home at a cost of several hundred pounds, adding to the financial blow of their lost holiday. To make matters worse, Mr Hardy’s travel insurance did not cover the incident.
During the confrontation, Mr Hardy claims that a Swissport official called the police when he requested to record their response after showing them official government documentation proving his passport’s validity. He emphasised that he remained calm and polite, with the attending police officer even shaking his hand and wishing him well.
Swissport has refused to engage with Mr Hardy’s complaints. Despite only receiving a single email advising him to contact the airline, the company maintained its stance when contacted by MailOnline. A Swissport spokesperson stated: "Our teams adhere to official travel document guidelines to ensure compliance with the entry restrictions of the destination. We have investigated this incident and the decision to deny boarding was in line with the available guidance on Schengen rules."
However, Mr Hardy believes the issue is more widespread. A taxi driver at the airport informed him that several passengers had encountered similar issues in the past two weeks.
This is not an isolated incident
The Wright family faced a similar ordeal at Gatwick Airport when they were denied boarding by a ground handler working for Norwegian Airlines, who also misinterpreted the 10-year passport rule. In that case, Norwegian Airlines admitted the mistake and apologised.
The situation highlights the confusion surrounding post-Brexit travel rules and the need for clear communication from airlines and ground handling staff. Travellers are advised to double-check their passport validity and entry requirements for their destination using the official UK government website.
Different countries have varying rules, with some, such as China, Thailand, Egypt, and Turkey, requiring at least six months of validity. Additionally, certain countries, including Italy and South Africa, require at least two full blank pages in the passport.
