A Brit couple trying to make it to their holiday destination were delayed by border patrol and subsequently missed their flight. The pair’s grievances did not end there as they found themselves shelling out for different tickets after being refused the right to board the flight despite being covered by the European Union‘s own rules.
Tim and Lorna Shelley said they, along with 15 other passengers, were denied boarding an easyJet Copenhagen flight because they were delayed at passport control. While EU law says they should not be refused boarding if checked in on time, the group of travellers was refused entry onto the flight that took off on March 8.
Speaking to Sky News about their trouble, the pair confirmed they were made to rebook their tickets for £380 and that easyJet, as well as the airport, have denied responsibility.
The couple said: “The airport blames the Danish authorities. Our travel insurance will not pay. easyJet referred us to ABTA, who referred us to the independent arbitrator. FCDO and our MP have ignored us. We cannot be liable for something out of our control. What do we do next?”
Advice has since been issued by journalist Jess Sharp, who noted the couple were one of many examples of new airport restrictions delaying holidaymakers.
She wrote: “Since the EU’s Entry-Exit system was introduced in April, we have heard from lots of passengers reporting longer waits to get through passport control…
“Under the system, Britons must provide fingerprint and facial scans during their first arrival, followed by a single biometric scan on each subsequent arrival and departure.”
The couple were not compensated for missing their flight, with the response noting easyJet are not at fault for the delay. Border control and IT delays were seemingly at fault, with easyJet saying they too are frustrated with the “unacceptable” Entry-Exit system.
In a statement received by Sky News, an easyJet spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry to hear that due to delays in EES processing by border authorities, Mr Shelley experienced a very long wait time at passport control in Copenhagen, which meant he missed his flight home to London Gatwick.
“The issues some passengers have experienced due to EES are unacceptable and so we continue to urge border authorities to ensure they make full and effective use of the permitted flexibilities for as long as needed, so our customers’ travel plans are not impacted.
“As soon as we were made aware that Mr Shelley missed his flight, the easyJet holidays team got in contact to offer support and issued an airport duty tax refund for his missed flight. While this is entirely outside of our control, we encourage all our customers to allow for extra time when travelling to and through the airport.”
easyJet has been contacted for comment.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
