Ignore the HUD
I don't think there's some ghost in the machine causing this , and it's not uncommon for one department in BA to not be fully in the loop with another department's policy. TBH it sounds to me as if somebody at BA has decided (possibly on advice from "legal") to very strictly monitor compliance with Schengen.
As this was explained to me on the day (and FWIW I know it is how it has been explained to others, including serving BA staff who are regular flying commuters through T5 to a French destination):
" You are travelling into the Schengen zone on a UK passport (so non-EU, non-Schengen,) so potentially subject to the 90/180 rule
Because you have bought a return ticket from within the EU and are now on the final leg back into Schengen "we" (i.e. somebody at BA) really needs to make sure you have open'ish ended permission to stay....
Please show us your Schengen Visa or residency permit."
The Customer Service rep is right in saying no Visa needed, but that's only half the story.
FWIW it's straightforward enough and very quick for ground staff to magically convert a paper non-complaint boarding pass to a compliant one, there's often absolutely no need to print another copy.
Be interesting to see if this process continues.
Last edited by wiggy; 15th Aug 2023 at 17:12.