Flying Fr - expired passport

[True Blue]

Hi

a friend of mine is due to fly Stn - Bhd tomorrow evening. he has just found out his passport expired in June09. Will he be denied boarding?

True blue

[Final 3 Greens]

It is each passenger's personal responsibility to ensure that he or she has valid travel documentation which meets the requirements of Ryanair, immigration and other authorities at every destination. In order to be compliant please note the following:

* A valid travel document is required by all passengers travelling on Ryanair flights (including infants)
* A passport for travel outside the EEA must be valid for period of intended stay
* If a visa is applicable any children/infants must be travelling with the adult named on a visa vignette

In order to ensure compliance, passengers should carry a valid passport (and visa if applicable) or government issued national identification card on all journeys. Any fines, penalties, payments or expenditures incurred as a result of breach of these requirements shall be paid by or charged to you.

Ryanair does NOT accept driver licence, residence cards, family books, seaman books, Ministerial ID's, military ID cards, Italian AT/BT cards etc. Expired or damaged forms of photo-id will not be accepted on any flight.

As I read this, it isn't looking good :(

Does anyone know for sure?

[Capetonian]

Ryanair will look for any reason to offload a passenger. There is no earthly reason why a recently expired passport should not be accepted as valid ID for a domestic flight. I recall seeing somewhere that a passport which has expired less than 6 months ago (so the date in June could be critical here) is acceptable under some circumstances. (Quick search, can't find it).

Knowing Ryanair by reputation, I fear it's not looking good, but I wish your friend good luck - he'll need it.

[davidjohnson6]

A separate question worth considering, is that if your friend makes it from London to Belfast, would it be a problem if he was then unable to catch his booked flight back to London later ?

I've never tried taking the ferry to Scotland followed by train to London - but I suspect it's rather more time consuming than a 1-hour flight !

Hope all works out OK

[Abusing_the_sky]

Ryanair will look for any reason to offload a passenger
Wrong. It takes time to off load a pax (change of load sheet, looking for the bag if the pax had one checked in and so on) and it delays the turn around.

There is no earthly reason why a recently expired passport should not be accepted as valid ID for a domestic flight.
Wrong again. Passport details entered when booking on the website have to be the same as the details on the passport shown at check in desk/gate.

Hope your friend managed to get to BHD TB.

[Remers]

It doesn't take long to offload a pax unless there is a bag in the hold to find. In this case if he has a bag he would be stopped at check-in before checking in the bag or at the gate hw willjust be cancelled.

On a domestic UK flight does it ask for passport details when booking? I don't think it does as it is not a UK government requirement yet like Spain or the US. If so what happens when you put the expired date in?

[Skipness One Echo]

Let's be grown ups. It clearly states you need a current passport as photo ID regardless of international or domestic. He hasn't got a valid paaport, he doesn't make the rules to be accepted, the person at the gate would be sacked if he was allowed to fly and it was discovered by the cabin crew at the door.

He's going nowhere.

[OFSO]

I like travelling by train in Europe. None of this check-in nonsense you get with flying such as security scans, taking shoes off, can't carry this, can't carry that, "it's for your own good, sir" and herded around like cattle - crap.

No, I like wandering into the station about 30 minutes early, having a snorterino or two, climbing slowly and carefully onto the TGV a minute before it departs, hitting the "recline" button on the seat and snoozing away as the silver beast roars off at 300 kph, to wake happily and blisssfully at one's destination. And best of all, you don't need to carry a valid passport.

So when I booked a ticket from Brussels, which is in Belgium, to Lille, which is in France, a journey of 30 minutes on the train, the only problem I could foresee was there isn't enough time to get myself comfortable before I'd have to get up and get off.

How wrong I was. Because - mark these words - the idiots from the UK are in charge - in Belgium. At the Eurostar check-in the usual rope on stands, zig-zag marked-off queue you find in British airports. And fittingly, a British queue occupying it. Back and forth, shuffle shuffle, mutely back and forth, get to the front, have to show my passport to British immigration control. In Brussels. A passport ? For travelling on a train within Europe ?

"But I'm only going to Lille, that's not in England...."

"No matter, sir, this train's going to England".

"The train might be, but I'm getting off at Lille, changing trains, and going home to Spain...here's my ticket..."

"We don't know that do we sir, you might stay on the train to the UK..."

Duh !

Luckily I had my passport with me, never carry it in Europe normally, but did this time. Handed it over - details recorded under "troublemaker" or "tax avoider" or more likely both by the stalwarts of the British government, and handed back.

Then to the scanner, yes, a real airport scanner. Everyone had to take off jacket and coat, and with bags and suitcases, pass them on the conveyor belt. I was carrying gooey sticky Belgian chocolates for my mother-in-law, my aftershave, a stainless steel flask of coffee, various creams and ungents - and a sharp folding pocket knife. Did the scanner operator stop and ask me to open my case ? Did she heck... which makes me wonder what they are looking for.

Then to another "Gordon Brown's Stasi England" ticket and passport control which I tried to dodge on the basis I wasn't going there - but it was "come back here sir and take your place in the queue behind that woman".

"But I'm not going to...."

"Never mind that, sir, come here and show us your ticket !"

So finally into the 'departure lounge' where us passengers were herded together and kept confined behind a barrier, until all were sufficiently irritated and hence in a suitable state to board the train - which was actually quite nice with free papers, magazines and free food.

But as I disembarked 30 minutes later in Lille and returned to the relative sanity of France, I thought - for once - thank heavens I had my passport....

[Coquelet]

I just don't understand all that fuss with passports.
In Belgium, as in most European countries, you have to carry at all times an identification document, and show it on request from the competent authorities (most often the police). Even in your own country, in your home town. Also if you are asked to identify yourself at the bank, to get a registered mail at the post office, etc.
Most people have no passport, only an identity card (and it must be a valid one - in Belgium, the validity of an IC is five years, after which you have to go and get a new one).

[AlpineSkier]

@ Co0quelet

It is clear that ' You don't understand all that fuss with passports "

In the UK there is ( not yet ) any requirement to carry one all the time.

Does this help you with your evident puzzlement or do you need more enlightenment ?

[Capetonian]

Ryanair will look for any reason to offload a passenger

Wrong. It takes time to off load a pax (change of load sheet, looking for the bag if the pax had one checked in and so on) and it delays the turn around.

Fair enough, I meant 'deny boarding'.

Quote:
There is no earthly reason why a recently expired passport should not be accepted as valid ID for a domestic flight.

Wrong again. Passport details entered when booking on the website have to be the same as the details on the passport shown at check in desk/gate.

I repeat:
There is no earthly reason why a recently expired passport should not be accepted as valid ID for a domestic flight.
If Ryanair choose to make their own ridiculous rules which are more restrictive than those imposed by national authorities, then people should vote with ther credit cards and not be bullied into submission.

[ExXB]

Ryanair does NOT accept driver licence, residence cards, family books, seaman books, Ministerial ID's, military ID cards, Italian AT/BT cards etc. Expired or damaged forms of photo-id will not be accepted on any flight.

I'm confused. What form of ID does Cryanair accept for domestic UK travel? Do you really need a valid and undamaged passport to travel within the UK?

[Coquelet]

@ AlpineSkier :
It was about boarding a train from Brussels to Lille. Neither are in the UK : Brussels is in Belgium, Lille is in France.
Do you need more enlightment ?
Geography is not your forte, obviously.

[davidjohnson6]

Do you really need a valid and undamaged passport to travel within the UK?

With Ryanair, generally yes. If you want to fly from London to Scotland (i.e. STN to PIK) and you can't show a valid passport, then Ryanair won't let you fly.

Driving licences are generally not accepted. Very few people indeed in the UK have purchased a national ID card, meaning without a passport for a domestic flight one can expect to be denied boarding

[AlpineSkier]

@ Coquelet

I just took your comment to be a general burst of exasperation and not necessarily directly linked to the circumstances of this thread, since you didn't mention any of them.

FYI I would claim to have an exceptional knowlege of N Europe having travelled over and through it extensively and regularly for more than 30 years.

[OFSO]

Just a word - I too have lived in Europe for 40 years and am used to carrying ID at all times.

What I find extraordinary is when I travel by train from country A to country B, I have to pass through immigration control belonging to country C - although I'm not going there !

[SLF]

To the OP - I think providing your friend travels with hand baggage only, checks in on-line and presents the document confidently, 9 times out of 10 he'll get away with it. The passport only gets a cursory check at the gate on domestics IMHO and generally they're checking the name matches. I think a photo driving licence would do it too.

Good luck!

SLF

[True Blue]

Just to let you know what happened. Three of us had flown Bfs - Lhr Saturday morning for a football match. We were returning to Bhd on Fr. My friend in the end booked a later Ezy flight, he didn't want to take the chance of getting left behind.

We boarded a "Stansted Express" at Tottenham Hale at 17.43 and arrived at Stn at 1845. Our Fr flight was at 19.05. Through sheer good luck and due to a despatcher who was prepared to wait a few minutes, we made it. I got to the gate first and explained that my other friend was on his way down from security. We boarded at 19.00 and left on time. And the ID check was cursory, he could have got on fine.

I have to say, the stansted express service is a disgrace and we made a decision that we will avoid Stn in future, we will use Lgw or Lhr. And we are frequent travellers. This service it just too un-reliable and expensive.

Thanks for all the replies.

True Blue

[angels]

then people should vote with ther credit cards

That'll do nicely sir. An extra tenner please. :}