Jet2 issued an apology after a furious dad claimed his children were refused entry to a plane at Manchester airport.
Shane Lloyd lives in Jersey and his two children were set to fly out to the Channel Islands for a week-long holiday with their dad. However, his son Dylan, 13, and daughter Grace, 14, were in tears when they were denied entry onto the flight because they didn't have their own photo ID.
UK passengers travelling to Jersey are not required to have a passport, but adults must travel with some form of photo ID. The Jersey tourist board said the requirement does not extend to children under 16 and the adult they are travelling with can "vouch for the child's identity" - as M.E.N reports.
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The children were travelling with their auntie, Leah, and Shane was in disbelief after they were refused entry onto the flight. He said: "I was furious. I was at Jersey Airport waiting for them then I got a call from my sister saying they wouldn't let them get on.
"They've flown over, it must be 15 to 20 times now since I've been here, they've flown with easyJet, with Jet2, from Manchester, from Liverpool, and they've never needed ID. My daughter lived here with me for 18 months and she flew back six months ago on a Jet2 flight and didn't need photo ID.
"Every time I make their mum pack their birth certificates though just in case but this time they said even they weren't good enough. They had to come all the way back through security. They were both in tears.
"The worst part of it is their mum was meant to be going away herself but her holiday was cancelled as well the same day. If it hadn't have been they would just been left stranded there and I wouldn't have been able to get to them."
The official website of Jersey's tourist board said: "Children under the age of 16 do not need to show ID on domestic flights. The adult they are travelling with can vouch for the infant/child’s identity." The website does add: "Always check with your airline and ferry company before travelling to confirm the identification you’ll need to carry."
Jet2 have now apologised and have booked the children on new flights at no extra cost. Shane said: I'm obviously pleased I'm going to get to see them now. But I'm still angry they left two children at the airport just because someone didn't know the rules."
Dylan and Grace live in Wigan and were travelling to Jersey to attend a gender reveal party. Shane had booked a campsite for the bash and said he has been left £1,000 out of pocket due to the gaffe.
He added: "We've lost two days together now. I also cancelled the accommodation when I thought they weren't coming over. I've lost all my money on it that because it was less than 24 hours beforehand and I'm really struggling to find anywhere else now.
"We're ringing round but everywhere is booked up because of the Jubilee. It still leaves a bit of a sour taste to be honest."
A Jet2 spokesperson said: "We can confirm that we have been in touch with the customer and are pleased to say the matter has since been fully resolved. We would like to apologise to the family for any inconvenience caused.”
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