EasyJet passenger furious over airline’s ‘absolutely incompetent’ behaviour after wrongly barring him from flying – and then refusing compensation
EasyJet wrongly stopped a passenger from boarding a plane due to an allegedly “invalid passport”, despite the document meeting all requirements for travel to Spain.
Stephen Jackson, 66, was turned away from his flight to Alicante at Manchester airport on October 12, forcing him to abandon his golfing trip to Costa Blanca.
The 66-year-old’s passport met both conditions required for travel to the European Union: being less than 10 years old on the day of entry and having at least three months’ validity remaining on the intended day of return.
Despite this, two easyJet ground staff members at Manchester airport incorrectly deemed his passport unacceptable.
As a result, Jackson was forced to return to his home in Preston by train, missing his planned trip with friends.
The airline initially owed him £350 in compensation and a refund of his return fare.
However, when Jackson applied for the compensation, easyJet refused, claiming airport staff had confirmed he had “insufficient or invalid documentation”.
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In an email, the airline stated: “As per confirmation from our airport staff they have documented that you were refused carriage due to insufficient or invalid documentation which is required to travel with easyJet.”
“Therefore, this instance of ‘Refusal of Carriage’ does not meet the eligibility criteria for Compensation claims under the Regulation guidelines.”
The rejection message ended with: “Thank you for choosing easyJet and we hope to welcome you on-board again soon.”
EasyJet has since acknowledged the mistake, promising to rectify the situation and review its staff training procedures.
Jackson has slammed the airline as “absolutely incompetent”.
A spokesperson for the airline has since said: “We are sorry on this occasion the customer service agent got it wrong as they referred to outdated information.”
EasyJet promised to recompense Jackson for his losses and pay statutory compensation.
The airline has also committed to reissuing guidance to all ground and contact centre agents, emphasising the seriousness of proper staff training.
It said: “EasyJet takes the training of our customer service agents seriously to deliver the best possible service to our customers.
“We are in contact with Jackson to apologise for the error and to provide compensation for the inconvenience we caused.”