Aer Lingus Advanced Passenger Information Question

Tomrota

I’m going to be travelling to the Netherlands and it’s asking me to enter Advanced Passenger Information. I was planning on just bringing my little European travel passport card and not the full passport book, so do I Enter the passport number or the EU travel card number where it asks me for it? The field is coming up red when I try to enter the EU travel card number. But I won’t be bringing my passport, so why would I enter that number? Can someone help?

MJohnston

Do you mean an Irish Passport card? If so, your Advanced Passenger Information needs to completely match the number on that. If you're not able to enter it, you'll need to bring your full passport with you instead. The two numbers aren't the same, and you will have a massive amount of trouble if you don't bring the full passport if that's the number you entered.

VG31

MJohnston wrote: »

The two numbers aren't the same, and you will have a massive amount of trouble if you don't bring the full passport if that's the number you entered.

Why would you have a "massive amount of trouble"?


You could either just enter your passport number or else check in at the airport.

Tomrota

VG31 wrote: »

Why would you have a "massive amount of trouble"?


You could either just enter your passport number or else check in at the airport.

Thanks for your responses.

Well, that’s what I’m worried about - having trouble. I’ve never had trouble with a passport before, I’ve even boarded with the wrong boarding card without them noticing.

If it’s on an EU to EU Flight, does it really matter if two numbers don’t match up? Also, if that’s the case what’s the point in having the irish passport card if you need to bring the giant book anyway?

MJohnston

I was able to use the passport card going to France, Austria, and London, but none of those places required API.

I'm not saying you can't use the passport card, I'm saying you can't fill in the number from your full passport in the API, and then use the passport card. API and your ID will have to match. If a country demands API, then they will most certainly have stricter checks than most other EU countries.

I don't know why the system isn't accepting your passport card number however. Perhaps that's a question for Aer Lingus directly.

Stratvs

On the card & API maybe as others have said ask AL directly for clarification.

Separately, if you're travelling into Amsterdam/Schiphol I've noticed on several occasions their automated passport checking booths only seem to accept the full passport book. If you've a card you need to go to manual security desk. Not a big thing but can mean a longer queue if time is an issue.

coylemj

I thought API was only required for USA, Spain and Portugal? And I doubt if it really matters for S & P.

MJohnston

coylemj wrote: »

I thought API was only required for USA, Spain and Portugal? And I doubt if it really matters for S & P.

I don't know why Netherlands does it, but they definitely do:
https://www.aerlingus.com/travel-information/passports-and-visas/travel-within-europe/#/tab-1-api-for-spain/portugal/netherlands

You can doubt if it matters, but Aer Lingus call it compulsory, so you'd be silly to risk it. Get in touch with them, ask them about the problem with the Passport Card, and get it sorted ahead of time.

Side note: you will usually have no issues getting through EU airports with passport cards, but I've found that EU hotels are still pretty picky about the types of ID that they accept on check-in. You can probably argue them to accept it, but just something to watch out for.

goingnowhere

Aer Lingus website has issues with the passport card. In general the roll out of the card was badly handled by the DFA, it was refused by numerous entry points (Berlin, Prague...) as the IT could not process it for several months.

Just enter your full passport details in the form and hit save.

No one in Amsterdam gives a damn what travel doc you present on arrival or departure other than it is valid and matches the ticket.

Czech Republic also ask for API

Credit Checker Moose

They will accept the passport card at check in. They can also do the API at the same time.