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Phoenix1969
28th Oct 2016, 09:07
....and make sure you aren't dealing with a check-in counter clerk on a mission to win the 'Only Doing My Job' awards

Man with valid passport refused boarding on BA flight to wedding - AOL Travel UK (http://travel.aol.co.uk/2016/10/27/british-airways-refused-man-boarding-valid-passport-flight-wedding-Nice/)

ExXB
28th Oct 2016, 09:38
I'd say make sure you don't fly BA, they truly don't give a s***.

Reverserbucket
28th Oct 2016, 13:30
This is interesting because as I understand it, BA contract G4S at LHR for passport, visa and immigration type verification.

I had a query concerning the validity of a travel document and approached a ticket desk in T5 where the very helpful BA uniformed lady explained how it worked, dialled G4S and handed me the phone to ask the question myself. Received a positive answer immediately.

I wonder why this wasn't checked before denying boarding...or is there more to this perhaps?

strawberry Ribena
30th Oct 2016, 22:03
G4S are only used for American/Canadian flights.

edi_local
31st Oct 2016, 18:23
G4S are only used for American/Canadian flights.
That isn't accurate. They were used on my recent flight to Moscow and have also seen G4S agents at many non EU flights too.


This seems like an unfortunate mistake, but how it got as far as it did is beyond me. For one person to deny him is an accident, but presumably a supervisor would have stepped in at some stage and you'd expect them to know. Even if TIMATIC was used for an EU national traveling to EU, as poorly worded as it is, the truth would have been clearly stated in there somewhere.

It does make me wonder if the article is a bit lacking, though. Perhaps he had a British passport from the IOM or Channel Islands or an overseas territory. Those do not adhere to normal UK passport rules and could have caused the confusion?

As someone who used to be on the "front line", although not for BA, visa checking is a headache and being vigilant often led to mouthfuls of abuse as we very often had to deny people, although when we did so we were absolutely certain that person couldn't travel and the decisions to deny boarding on these grounds would almost always need at least 3 people to agree as to avoid this exact situation. If there was any doubt at all a call to the arrival countries immigration department was always made and if necessary copies of documents sent. They always had the final word.

pax britanica
31st Oct 2016, 21:05
For various reasons I for a time held a Bermuda Passport, same as UK but with Bermuda written on as a dependent territory. I occasionally had problems with it not scanning properly, or rather scanning properly but not coming up as a UK passport (ie a normal one ) and getting a short interview with immigration staff.

I also occasionally got it scrutinised by immigration staff and asked to wait a few minutes -I assume they went to check with a supervisor until I asked a guy at Oslo Gardamoen what he was doing . Answer, this can be a boring job so many of us 'collect'passports from around the world and when we see an unusual one we go and make a photo copy for the collection. It also came in handy in getting duty free goods in Europe since although UK is (was) in Europe Bermuda was not so I could get the traditional full duty free allowance as anon Eu person. So its possible this guy had some sort of 'modified' UK passport that caused the problem, even so denying bording is crazy a simple phone call would have probably sorted it.

ExXB
1st Nov 2016, 09:45
I really feel for the front line people, this cannot be easy. However BA's damage control was sorely lacking. Rather than checking (obvious from their response) they just assumed the customer was wrong. Do the customer service team not have access to timatic? Or a TIM? Or the Internet? (IATA, which owns TIM, has a free document checker)

spokesperson for British Airways told the Independent: "This appears to have been a one-off mistake made by a member of staff and then accidentally and wrongly reiterated.

"There is nothing to suggest that anyone else has received such communication."

The spokesman added that they would contact Mr Keen to resolve the situation.

This is just not good enough. I trust they will inform Mr. Keen that in addition to covering his cost or rerouting they are liable to pay compensation for denied boarding as per Regulation 261.

PAXboy
1st Nov 2016, 14:38
Indeed ExXB. If not, solicitors at dawn - which will bring a rapid out of court settlement.

TCU
5th Nov 2016, 20:39
Interesting there is another topic post where peeps have encountered similar experiences with Air NZ and SQ, except those post are "experienced" based rather than the Daily Mail style BA bashing which is becoming common on this particular sub-forum

Get over it chaps, they are an airline that is rather good at turning a profit, when all around seem to struggle. Occasionally people make a mistake....hands up anyone?

ExXB
6th Nov 2016, 07:13
Get over it chaps, they are an airline that is rather good at turning a profit

Yes, but for how long? (https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/nov/06/no-refund-british-airways-flight-gatwick-heathrow)

If it is any consolation, you are not alone in suffering from what appears to be a dramatic decline in BA’s customer service. Britain’s favourite airline is fast becoming Britain’s least trusted airline, if our postbag is to be believed. A few years ago we used to get almost as many letters praising it – now BA is vying with easyJet as our most complained-about airline, and is just about winning.

Too many readers are being promised one thing by staff on the ground, presumably to get rid of them or get them on another flight, only for the head office to later deny or ignore what was promised. Sadly, it has got to the stage where I would urge readers to record or film any significant financial offer made by a BA staff member to get you off an overbooked flight, or a promise of onward travel. Without this you are open to such treatment.

RAT 5
6th Nov 2016, 11:02
I wonder why this wasn't checked before denying boarding...or is there more to this perhaps?

Surely LHR is littered with Border Agency = Immigration supervisors. Why not ask the experts. I certainly would have challenged the check-in agent and demanded a call to 'them in the know'.

ExXB
6th Nov 2016, 12:31
RAT 5, but that assumes that the agent would have believed UK border police in respect of a question about the French border.

RAT 5
6th Nov 2016, 12:48
Mr Keen had to travel to the Passport Office in central London to get a new passport.
While at the office, he was told that his passport was actually valid for travel to France.

If the passport office in central London was open to issue a new one, and if the office told him this, then surely either local Border Control officers at LHR would have there same info, or they could call their chiefs at the central office or even the UK foreign office. I'm just amazed that this could not have been sorted out on site PDQ via the old fashioned telephone. I spud expect a very large 'woopsie we're sorry' goodie bag from BA. A refund of extra ticket, the travel costs to central London, plus compensation for all the agro & stress, plus a large bucket of airmiles. If they don't then they will be hearing from his solicitor with further follow up in the press. Squeeze their cajonies.

ExXB
6th Nov 2016, 12:52
RAT 5. I think you misunderstood my question. I have no doubt the British border police could answer the question correctly. But would the agent, who seemed too stupid to pound sand, believe anyone but him/herself?

RAT 5
6th Nov 2016, 13:30
Indeed. RTFAnswer

Reverserbucket
7th Nov 2016, 14:06
I'm just amazed that this could not have been sorted out on site PDQ via the old fashioned telephone.
Which was my point regarding G4S; I wasn't describing the CSA's at the gate though edi_local but rather the service BA contracts G4S to provide Visa information for over the phone. strawberry Ribena states they are only used for US/Canadian queries and as mine was for one of these, I can't add anything further to the discussion.