Golf weekend ruined after easyJet's latest rules blunder
The Independent|October 15, 2024
Budget airline sorry for falsely ruling man’s passport invalid
SIMON CALDER
Golf weekend ruined after easyJet's latest rules blunder

Stephen Jackson was expecting to spend the weekend playing golf in Spain. Along with three friends, the 66-year-old retired aeronautical engineer from Preston travelled to Manchester airport in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The four were booked on the 6.20am easyJet flight, which was due to touch down at Alicante airport around 10am – in good time for a round of golf.

Mr Jackson has a passport valid for travel out to Spain and the rest of the European Union until 10 December 2024 for a stay of up to 90 days. But ground staff working for easyJet insisted it was not valid and turned him away.

Mr Jackson said: “When we arrived at the airport we selfchecked in our golf bags and attached the baggage label. When going to the bag drop-off point an easyJet employee asked to see my passport which I did. She then informed me that my passport was invalid, saying ‘The expiry date is now 10 years from the issue date and that there was less than three months from that on my return home’.”

Since Brexit, UK passports must meet two conditions for travel to the European Union:

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