Easyjet - warning if travelling with EEA Family member

[giruzz]

Hello,

Just a word of warning if you are travelling with Easyjet. On the 27th of April I was travelling with my Gf from London Luton using Easyjet.

We were informed that due to new procedure they will no longer accept outbound passengers travelling alone if they are flying to a country that accept EEA Family member permits.

I used to travel for work in several Schengen countries on a Thursday/Friday and my gf's would have reached me for holiday the following Saturday but this is no longer possible.

In Luton, Easyjet has a new procedure, if you have a EEA Family member permit you are required to obtain a sign-off from a 'visa desk' and then go to check-in. Please remember to allow extra time....

Also...the people doing the check-in don't know much of Visas and appeared to be very confused. I have witnessed them giving the following informations to customers:

1) Told a Brazilian passport holder that needed a Schengen visa to fly to Italy

2) Told my gf that she could fly to ANY Schengen country with her residency card, however she had to fly exclusively with me.

Hope it helps....

Giruzz

(edit: spelling & point one amended)

[DFDS.]

I would not put abig blem on EasyJet Check in staff, rather on the airline management its self. They should request an uptodate handling Manual for European citizens and their family members. There used to be a small book called TIM ( TRAVEL INFORMATION MANUAL), that all travel agents and airline staff used as a refference on departing and arriving Paxs.(passengers). It held all information about visa national an non visa nationals, transit rights, health and vaccination, currencys, dressing codes in different countries etc, and it was published or updated every three months. Currently you can get it online if you have acess to Galileo, this is the system used by travel agents in most countries for making airline, hotels and car hire bookings.

[giruzz]

I would not put abig blem on EasyJet Check in staff, rather on the airline management its self. They should request an uptodate handling Manual for European citizens and their family members. There used to be a small book called TIM ( TRAVEL INFORMATION MANUAL), that all travel agents and airline staff used as a refference on departing and arriving Paxs.(passengers). It held all information about visa national an non visa nationals, transit rights, health and vaccination, currencys, dressing codes in different countries etc, and it was published or updated every three months. Currently you can get it online if you have acess to Galileo, this is the system used by travel agents in most countries for making airline, hotels and car hire bookings.

The staff doing the Visa checks are not Easyjet employed. It is a third party company specialised in this type of service (can't remember the name but it is a big one).

If there is someone to blame is really just the management staff that doesn't invest in training....I understand that 98% of Easyjet's travellers do not require Visas.

However, having to deal with this crap all the time it is quite stressful for the rest of us. Every time there are checks, after checks for the Visa, often people don't know the rules and often act like complete bums just because they feel to have some sort of 'divine power' given to them.... I really can't wait until she gets her British passport and we leave this behind. (This applies to most airlines' staff, airport employed check-in staff or immigration officials in most point of entry)

/rant off

Giruzz

[SunBlue]

Once the person from Easy Jet told me: "You don't have a visa to go to Germany".
I said: "Of course I don't. I don't NEED one". I was traveling on a Brazilian passport, and Brazilians are not required to have a visa to enter Schengen.

The best is to speak firmly and if they insist, you have to advise them to do their job properly and check accurate information.

[bdb303]

Easyjet... whenever I travel with my non-EU wife (who has an EEA2) they always have to call for confirmation that she can enter the Schengen area before we are allowed to board the plane. It's like they're unable to make a decision themselves.

At least with flights to and from the UK, you'll find that most staff have usually seen this type of permit. Flying between Schengen countries is more tricky.

My wife was almost refused to board a flight from Barcelona to Amsterdam last Decemeber. Errr... if she wasn't elegible to be in the Schengen area then what is she doing in Barcelona in the first place?! I think Easyjet staff dealing with flights within the Schengen area should stop playing border guards and leave it up to the professionals (who are often incompetent as well). 2 more years till she gets her UK passport...sigh.

[fysicus]

It's typically the low-budget airlines who make the most mistakes of this sort.
I would advise all victims to pursue the maximum compensation under the Denied Boarding Directive and don't let them off the hook.
Financial consequences is the only language they understand!

[acme4242]

I would not put abig blem on EasyJet Check in staff, rather on the airline management its self. They should request an uptodate handling Manual for European citizens and their family members. There used to be a small book called TIM ( TRAVEL INFORMATION MANUAL), that all travel agents and airline staff used as a refference on departing and arriving Paxs.(passengers). It held all information about visa national an non visa nationals, transit rights, health and vaccination, currencys, dressing codes in different countries etc, and it was published or updated every three months. Currently you can get it online if you have acess to Galileo, this is the system used by travel agents in most countries for making airline, hotels and car hire bookings.

Here is the airline database on-line
If airline staff would check their computer or latest TIM manual for visa requirements.
This is what the Airline staff would see.
Please enter your details, such as Nationality
Please print and bring it with you.


A few links to the same Database, always the same information back
because it comes from IATA TIMATIC
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/pa ... /index.jsp
and
http://www.delta.com/planning_reservati ... formation/
also
http://www.skyteam.com/about/travelhelp/travelinfo.html
also
http://www.klm.com/travel/sg_en/prepare ... saform.htm

National Brazil (BR) /Residence United Kingdom (GB)
Embarkation United Kingdom (GB) /Destination Italy (IT)

Passport required.
- Passports and/or passport replacing documents must be valid
on arrival.

Visa required, except for A stay of max. 90 days:

===================================
Background on airline database

Some Airlines provide web-access to the Database, Its always the same
information because it comes from Industry IATA database called TIMATIC

http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/Pages/tim.aspx
http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/travelinformation.php#
http://www.timaticweb.com/

What is TimaticWeb?
TimaticWeb is a web-based service used to determine traveler border
control requirements. The service is based on Timatic and is used by the
entire aviation industry

[DFDS.]

I would not put abig blem on EasyJet Check in staff, rather on the airline management its self. They should request an uptodate handling Manual for European citizens and their family members. There used to be a small book called TIM ( TRAVEL INFORMATION MANUAL), that all travel agents and airline staff used as a refference on departing and arriving Paxs.(passengers). It held all information about visa national an non visa nationals, transit rights, health and vaccination, currencys, dressing codes in different countries etc, and it was published or updated every three months. Currently you can get it online if you have acess to Galileo, this is the system used by travel agents in most countries for making airline, hotels and car hire bookings.

Here is the airline database on-line
If airline staff would check their computer or latest TIM manual for visa requirements.
This is what the Airline staff would see.
Please enter your details, such as Nationality
Please print and bring it with you.


A few links to the same Database, always the same information back
because it comes from IATA TIMATIC
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/pa ... /index.jsp
and
http://www.delta.com/planning_reservati ... formation/
also
http://www.skyteam.com/about/travelhelp/travelinfo.html
also
http://www.klm.com/travel/sg_en/prepare ... saform.htm

National Brazil (BR) /Residence United Kingdom (GB)
Embarkation United Kingdom (GB) /Destination Italy (IT)

Passport required.
- Passports and/or passport replacing documents must be valid
on arrival.

Visa required, except for A stay of max. 90 days:

===================================
Background on airline database

Some Airlines provide web-access to the Database, Its always the same
information because it comes from Industry IATA database called TIMATIC

http://www.iata.org/ps/publications/Pages/tim.aspx
http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/travelinformation.php#
http://www.timaticweb.com/

What is TimaticWeb?
TimaticWeb is a web-based service used to determine traveler border
control requirements. The service is based on Timatic and is used by the
entire aviation industry

Briliant!

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

2) Told my gf that she could fly to ANY Schengen country with her residency card, however she had to fly exclusively with me.

Sorry to mess with the discussion, but I am not sure this is wrong.

A family member who has a Residence Card has a dependent right of free movement. They need to be traveling with or to meet the EU citizen.

Is there any case law which suggests that once the non-EU family member has an visa or a Residence Card on the basis of their relationship with the EU family member, that they can then travel independently of the EU family member?

Directive 2004/38/EC does not seem to talk explicitly about whether the EU citizen and non-EU family member are traveling together:

Family members who are not nationals of a Member State shall only be required to have an
entry visa in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 or, where appropriate, with national
law. For the purposes of this Directive, possession of the valid residence card referred to in
Article 10 shall exempt such family members from the visa requirement.

Any references to relevant case law would be most appreciated!

[acme4242]

A family member who has a Residence Card has a dependent right of free movement. They need to be traveling with or to meet the EU citizen.

Is there any case law which suggests that once the non-EU family member has an visa or a Residence Card on the basis of their relationship with the EU family member, that they can then travel independently of the EU family member?

From EU law point of view, such visa free travel is conditional on accompanying or traveling to join the EU family member.
But Some EU countries do not make it a condition. e.g. Romania

Beneficiaries and facilitation of entry and residence (Article 3)

The right to enter and exit from Romania of family members of the EU
citizen is not conditioned by accompanying or joining the EU citizen

But for most EU counties it is a condition, the EU family member must accompany, or be in the destination country already.

Its not a very convenient condition, and it has not been really been
enforced by airlines and immigration border guards.
Once you had the stamp, "EU family member" they where happy enough.
From a practical point of view, it feels like slavery, "where is your master ?"

The Timatic Visa guidance for airline staff says the following for all EU countries , (even for Romania. where its not a condition)

Visa required, except for A max. stay of 90 days for holders
of a "family member" residence permit issued by United Kingdom
to a family member of an EEA national or a national of
Switzerland, provided travelling with or travelling to join
the EEA national or national of Switzerland.