Passport Rules Misinterpretation Leaves Family £1,300 Out of Pocket
By TED THORNHILL, MAILONLINE TRAVEL EDITOR
Published: 13:51 EST, 28 February 2025
Updated: 16:00 EST, 28 February 2025
A family has been left distraught after being wrongly denied boarding for a birthday flight to Copenhagen.
As reported by The Independent’s Simon Calder, they were left almost £1,300 out of pocket after a ground handler working for Norwegian at Gatwick Airport misinterpreted post-Brexit passport rules and prevented them from travelling.
The Incident
Caroline Wright and her daughter Tess had bought her husband and dad, Steve, a surprise 60th birthday trip to the Danish capital. The Independent verified that they all arrived at the airport on Friday, February 21, with passports valid under the new post-Brexit EU rules.
On the day of outbound travel, all the passports were less than 10 years old and had at least three months remaining before the expiry date on the intended return date.
Misinterpreted Rule
However, a Norwegian ground crew lady applied a rule that doesn’t exist, claiming that a passport, regardless of the expiry date on it, expires exactly 10 years after issue.
The Consequences
She claimed that because Steve’s passport would be 10 years old on March 31, he couldn’t travel. This led to the family being left almost £1,300 out of pocket.
Abta’s Statement
Abta states that actually, as long as a passport is less than 10 years old on the day of departure, any extra months that might have been added on to it from a previous passport do count.
Norwegian’s Apology
Norwegian told MailOnline Travel: ‘After looking into this, we discovered that we have indeed made a mistake and are offering Mr. Wright our sincere apologies. As pointed out by Simon Calder, the rules have been hard to interpret, and in this instance, the ground personnel came to the wrong conclusion. The claim sent in by the Wright family will be expedited, and they can expect a reply from us within a few days.’
Important Travel Tips
As well as expiry dates and passport age, travellers should also check the specific entry requirements for the country they are visiting on the gov.uk website before travelling – the rules around passport validity vary from country to country. For instance, while most countries such as Australia, Canada, and the USA just need a passport to be valid for the length of the stay, other countries such as China, Thailand, Egypt, and Turkey need at least six months.
Travellers should also count blank pages. If their passport is filling up with stamps and there’s hardly any space left, they need to renew it – even if they’ve got several years left on it. This is because some countries can be fussy about passports with filled pages. For instance, Italy and South Africa require at least two full blank pages.
Conclusion
The Wright family’s experience highlights the importance of understanding passport rules and regulations when travelling. It is crucial to check the specific entry requirements for the country you are visiting and to ensure that your passport is valid for the length of your stay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happened to the Wright family?
A: The Wright family was wrongly denied boarding for a birthday flight to Copenhagen due to a misinterpretation of post-Brexit passport rules.
Q: How much did the Wright family lose out on?
A: The Wright family was left almost £1,300 out of pocket.
Q: What did Norwegian say about the incident?
A: Norwegian apologized for the mistake and stated that they would expedite the claim and provide a response within a few days.
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