Couple missed holiday after passport confusion

A Jersey couple said they were refunded the cost of their holiday after they missed a trip to Austria due to confusion over EU passport rules.

Richard and Kate Sugden were due to fly from Jersey to Austria via London Heathrow Airport but they were told by British Airways staff Mrs Sugden's passport was not valid due to the "passport 10-year rule".

In a similar case, Grant Hardy, from Guernsey, said he was denied boarding a flight from Jersey to Tenerife by Swissport staff. In both cases, the passports should have been valid for travel.

Swissport, which provides ground services, said its legal team was in touch with Mr Hardy, who is taking court action. BA said it had apologised.

Since the UK left the EU, travellers heading to all countries within the bloc - and including Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland, but not Ireland - must have a passport which was issued less than 10 years before their departure date.

It must also be valid for three months after their planned return date.

Mr and Mrs Sugden said they were looking forward to a ski trip in Austria in January but a misunderstanding of EU passport rules by staff in Jersey meant they were told they would not be allowed to travel from Heathrow.

Mrs Sugden's passport was issued in February 2015 and expires in September 2025.

Mr Sugden said: "We looked at the passport and saw that the expiry date wasn't until September, so had seven months left... I was feeling confused, very confused actually, and we had that pit in your stomach of 'oh my gosh, we've got it badly wrong'."

He said before they travelled they had checked their passports were eligible for travel on a third party website which said the document was OK.

"The check-in staff were very sympathetic but very adamant that this passport wasn't going to work," he said.

"Somebody came down, I'm guessing a duty supervisor, and he confirmed what they were saying."

Mr and Mrs Sudgen said BA had since apologised and refunded the cost of their holiday with compensation.

Grant Hardy, from Guernsey, said he experienced a similar situation when he tried to board a direct flight to Tenerife from Jersey operated by Smartwings.

Mr Hardy's passport was issued in March 2015 and had nine months left until it expired.

He said he showed Swissport staff guidance from the UK Home Office website which stated their passports were in accordance to EU rules.

"We stood our ground, but the manager decided to call the police to say we were causing a disturbance, which was really distressing," he said.

"We were more or less left at the airport with nowhere to go, so we phoned up the Home Office, checked the information with them and checked with our travel agent who also said we could go - so we went back to the check in desk who said there was no way we could get on because we had missed our available slots."

The BBC has seen a report from Ports of Jersey, which reviewed the CCTV of the incident, and said at "no point" was Mr Hardy "aggressive, rude or unprofessional to anyone".

States of Jersey Police were approached for comment.

Mr Hardy said he planned to lodge a case in Jersey's Petty Debts Court.

A spokesperson for Swissport said: "We are sorry to hear about the Hardy's experience at Jersey airport.

"Our legal representatives are in contact with them to resolve this matter."

BA said: "We have apologised to our customers for their experience, and we have been in touch to make things right."

British passport holders used to be able to carry up to nine months left on an old passport to their new one, which meant the new document could be valid for more than 10 years.

For example, if you had six months left on the passport you were renewing, the new passport would be valid for 10 years and six months.

This is because before 2018 the passport office used to add up to nine months from an old passport on to a new one.

The rules changed when the UK left the European Union in 2020 and now the majority of EU nations, which are part of the Schengen Area, no longer accept British passports that were issued more than 10 years before the date of travel. This is known as the 10-year rule.

To enter those countries, your passport must:

• Not be older than 10 years old from the date you want to enter the EU - this can be found under the date of issue
• Be valid for at least three months after the date you plan to leave - this can be found under the date of expiry

Visual journalism by Miguel Roca-Terry

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook. Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].