KLM wrongly turning away passengers with made-up passport rules

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Two of Europe’s leading airlines are wrongly turning away UK passengers whose passports comply with post-Brexit EU rules. A British passport must meet two conditions for travel to the EU: It must have been issued less than 10 years ago on the day of entry to the EU country It must be valid for at least three months after the intended date of return from the EU The European Commission in Brussels has made it clear that these rules are independent of each other; a passenger with a passport issued on 1 November 2012 could travel to the EU any time up to 31 October 2022, so long as the expiry date met the second condition. Since he had been wrongly denied boarding, Dr Banks applied for statutory compensation under European air passengers’ rights rules as well as recompense for his air fare and lost accommodation costs. Because of KLM’s decision, the couple were due a full refund of air fares plus cash compensation of £220 per person under European air passengers’ rights rules.