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“I wanted to reward my 13-year-old daughter for her hard work this year at school,” said Rebecca Smith. “She wanted to visit Titanic Belfast. So I booked flights on British Airways and a hotel in Belfast.”
Mother and daughter arrived from their home in Cambridgeshire in good time for their flight on 23 July – only to be denied boarding by BA and sent home.
Ms Smith, 50, complained three times that they had been unfairly treated. But the airline closed down their complaint. Bizarrely, British Airways blamed the pair for not having valid passports – even though they had the documents, which in any case are not required for domestic flights.
British Airways has now apologised to them, and offered a refund for the flights plus £208 in compensation – less than the law demands.
Ms Smith told The Independent how their short-break disintegrated without them getting any further than London Heathrow.
“I had already checked in by mobile, but the boarding passes would not come up on the BA app. I printed the boarding passes out at the airport at one of the self-service kiosks and we made our way to security.
“The boarding passes were rejected at the entrance to security. The Heathrow staff there directed us to a desk with two BA members of staff.
“The issue appeared to be that the computer insisted we needed ID. This wasn’t a problem as we both had our passports.
“However, no matter how many times the BA member of staff tried to enter the passport details, the computer refused to accept them as it then insisted it was a domestic flight and ID was not needed.
“We were therefore stuck in perpetual circle of the insistence for ID but then the refusal to accept ID.
“I reiterate there was nothing wrong with the passports or the dates on them. Another member of staff joined in but could not solve the problem.
“We were then left off the flight as we simply couldn’t get through security.
“To say we were both disappointed was an understatement. The final member of staff made detailed notes on the booking reference and encouraged us to email in for a refund or move of the flight.”
The following day Ms Smith complained to British Airways, asking for a refund for their tickets. Two weeks later her claim was rejected by BA. The airline told her: “As you didn’t have your updated passport with you, I’m afraid we can’t offer you a full refund.”
While airlines often ask for photo identification for domestic flights, passports are never obligatory. The fact that Ms Smith and her daughter were carrying valid passports was not mentioned in the airline’s message.
The customer service representative for British Airways also wrote: “We know the documentation needed for each country can be complicated, but as you’ll appreciate, we must follow all the relevant legislation when allowing customers on board. It’s the customer’s responsibility to make sure they have all the documents they need.
“I’ve checked our records and can see that your flight was operated as scheduled. Since you couldn’t board your flight, you were marked as a ‘No Show’.
“I’d like to inform you that we’re not liable for any consequential loss a customer or third party may have as a result of a denied boarding, so I’m afraid we can’t reimburse you the car parking expenses you incurred.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you. I‘d request you to contact your travel insurance company to see if they can cover these costs.”
No travel insurer would countenance paying out when an airline is clearly responsible for the financial loss.
Ms Smith responded, saying: “I think there must be some confusion. The documentation for Belfast is not complicated as it is a domestic flight. We both have valid passports. The fault was with your computer system.”
But she was told the case had been closed by British Airways. She vainly tried again on 18 September, and then contacted The Independent.
British Airways then investigated further and wrote to Ms Smith to apologise. She was told the cause was “a technical error”.
BA initially offered Ms Smith and her daughter €250 (£208) each for denied boarding compensation for the outbound flight only. The law states the payment should be £220.
The pair say they were effectively denied boarding twice – once on the way out, and once coming back, since British Airways caused them to miss the inbound flight. They therefore expect £440 each, as well as reimbursement of the extra costs that BA triggered.
British Airways is understood to be reviewing the case to ensure the passengers receive the correct compensation as well as a goodwill gesture.
Ms Smith said: “Having been a loyal customer of BA for so many years, to be ignored and blamed by customer service was nothing short of insulting and infuriating.
“This was particularly so when the staff on the day at the terminal had been as helpful as they could. We will not be restricting our flights to the British national carrier in future as I can’t trust them to do the right thing and apologise when they are in the wrong.”
A BA spokesperson told The Independent: “We are extremely sorry for the error and our customer’s experience. We’re reviewing this case and will get in touch with the customer to resolve it.”
Last month British Airways staff at Gatwick airport wrongly denied boarding to two passengers within four hours, citing non-existent rules for UK citizens’ travel to the European Union and the US.
