[Article] Tourists with valid passports are turned away from flights

Victor

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2091-1087368,00.html

Tourists with valid passports are turned away from flights
Siobhan Maguire

EVERY day up to 20 Irish holidaymakers are prevented from travelling abroad even though their passports are valid. They are being turned away by airlines because their passports are due to expire within six months of their planned return.
One woman who had booked a flight to Prague in March was told her passport was not valid at the Aer Lingus check-in desk at Dublin airport. Others have claimed they were denied flights to Spain and the Czech Republic because they did not have up to six months’ validity on their passports.

The European [C]ommission is to launch an investigation following complaints by Irish travellers who were denied access to flights. In some cases, they were allowed to board planes in Dublin but were refused entry into the Czech Republic and Spain because their passports were deemed to be close to invalid.

The commission said it was a breach of European law to deny members of the European Union access to other member states if they had a valid identification card or passport.

“We are surprised to hear that Irish people are being denied free movement within Europe,” said Andrea Martini of the commission. “We are taking this very seriously because any airline carrier or country that is setting down standards of passport validity depending on a certain number of months is quite clearly in breach of European laws.

“All union citizens have the right to enter and reside in the territory of any other member state of the union for a period of up to three months simply by presenting a valid passport or national identity card. No other formality is required. Member states cannot therefore set additional conditions concerning the minimum validity of duration of the identity card or passport.”

The passport office in Dublin has been inundated with holidaymakers wanting to renew their documents because they have been refused access to European flights. This was in spite of having up to six months left on the passport before its expiry.

Christopher Dowling, of the North Dublin Schoolboy League in Coolock, Dublin, is due to fly to Italy with an under-14 football team in July to take part in the Italy Cup, one of Europe’s biggest junior football tournaments.

He said the trip had been jeopardised because four of their young players had between three to seven months’ validity left on their passports.

Dowling said he had been in contact with Aer Lingus, the passport office and the Department of Foreign Affairs, and had been told that all passports must be valid for six months after the departure date.

“This is a confusing and frustrating situation because these rules and regulations being set down by the passport office and foreign affairs are different to what the commission sets out,” he said. “We have concerned parents and upset kids and the more questions we put to the relevant agencies, the more confused and evasive the answers. I have two options: either cancel the trip or give in and go to the passport office and renew all four passports.”

Airline carriers including Aer Lingus said they were obliged to refuse passengers access to flights if their passports did not meet the individual requirements of countries, otherwise it could face a fine of up to €1,000. “The airline is responsible for checking that a passenger’s documentation is in order at check-in prior to their departure from Ireland,” said an Aer Lingus spokewoman. “It is the customer’s own responsibility to check with the various embassies to ensure they have their correct documentation.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the advice offered to Irish people is to have at least six months to spare from when you travel to another European country. A spokesman said it was a “sovereign decision” whereby each member state could decide its own visa and passport requirements.

The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA), with 370 members, said there was a need for agents and airlines to face up to their responsibility and inform clients of visa restrictions prior to booking flights and holidays.

“Terms and conditions state that it is up to the client to ensure they are familiar with the visa and passport requirements of the country they are travelling to but it is not always possible to do this and you don’t expect to be stopped from going to Italy because your passport is due to run out in three months,” said the ITAA. “There is a need for more openness on this issue otherwise the consumer should be entitled to a full refund from the airline concerned.”