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Easy Jet Fiasco

Old 06-09-2017, 03:13 AM
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Default Easy Jet Fiasco

Anybody have any advice on this situation?

I recently flew from AMS to LGW on Easy Jet on a return (round-trip) ticket. The flight to LGW was uneventful. On returning I was denied boarding as I did not have a Schengan visa. I had a UK visa when I departed AMS but my travel for returning was via a Transit status and transfer to another International carrier. Easy Jet staff who were rude, unhelpful and completely against me stated that in the terms of carriage (the fine print) while booking online you click on the box to agree to) it clearly states no transit status is allowed on Easy Jet. They are a point to point airline and take no responsibility and will not allow transit passengers trying to connect to another airline. I knew it might be a little risky booking on a LCC but I thought I had one backup flight should something happen. The flight I was booked on departed LGW at 0630 and my connection flight in AMS departed at 1300 and there was a 0900 flight also on Easy Jet should a mechanical or something happen. I did not foresee this denial of boarding and carriage and was completely unprepared. I spoke with the Easy Jet manager and he just parroted the same rhetoric of Easy Jet staff and their policy they do not allow Transit passengers so I missed the flight and was escorted out of the secure zone of the airport. While outside I tried to book any other flight but British Airways who allow transit passengers had severe computer problems that day and no chance on flying with them. The only other option was KLM but the early flights were fully booked on my departure date and the earliest they had was 1 hour after my 1300 departure from AMS so I missed my connecting flight in AMS. I then had to rebook as my flight from AMS was on a carrier who does not fly daily to my destination only every other day. I rebooked on Aeroflot and flew to my destination at an additional cost of $1000. My question is does anybody think Easy Jet has a part of the liability for this situation? I only ask I booked round trip on them and nobody informed me when I departed for London that I would not be able to return without a Schengan visa on Easy Jet. My take is it was Easy Jet's responsibility to inform me I could not return to AMS without a Schengan visa when I flew them on a round trip ticket. I think it is unreasonable to not be informed of their policy. Any advice or suggestions or am I just screwed. Easy Jet says they take no responsibility and are non-refundable and I am just plain out and they take no responsibility. Does anybody think I may have a small claims case? Any advice or tips are highly appreciated.
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Old 06-09-2017, 04:00 AM
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Originally Posted by EXPAT1 View Post
Anybody have any advice on this situation?

I recently flew from AMS to LGW on Easy Jet on a return (round-trip) ticket. The flight to LGW was uneventful. On returning I was denied boarding as I did not have a Schengan visa. I had a UK visa when I departed AMS but my travel for returning was via a Transit status and transfer to another International carrier. Easy Jet staff who were rude, unhelpful and completely against me stated that in the terms of carriage (the fine print) while booking online you click on the box to agree to) it clearly states no transit status is allowed on Easy Jet. They are a point to point airline and take no responsibility and will not allow transit passengers trying to connect to another airline. I knew it might be a little risky booking on a LCC but I thought I had one backup flight should something happen. The flight I was booked on departed LGW at 0630 and my connection flight in AMS departed at 1300 and there was a 0900 flight also on Easy Jet should a mechanical or something happen. I did not foresee this denial of boarding and carriage and was completely unprepared. I spoke with the Easy Jet manager and he just parroted the same rhetoric of Easy Jet staff and their policy they do not allow Transit passengers so I missed the flight and was escorted out of the secure zone of the airport. While outside I tried to book any other flight but British Airways who allow transit passengers had severe computer problems that day and no chance on flying with them. The only other option was KLM but the early flights were fully booked on my departure date and the earliest they had was 1 hour after my 1300 departure from AMS so I missed my connecting flight in AMS. I then had to rebook as my flight from AMS was on a carrier who does not fly daily to my destination only every other day. I rebooked on Aeroflot and flew to my destination at an additional cost of $1000. My question is does anybody think Easy Jet has a part of the liability for this situation? I only ask I booked round trip on them and nobody informed me when I departed for London that I would not be able to return without a Schengan visa on Easy Jet. My take is it was Easy Jet's responsibility to inform me I could not return to AMS without a Schengan visa when I flew them on a round trip ticket. I think it is unreasonable to not be informed of their policy. Any advice or suggestions or am I just screwed. Easy Jet says they take no responsibility and are non-refundable and I am just plain out and they take no responsibility. Does anybody think I may have a small claims case? Any advice or tips are highly appreciated.
Do you have a U.S. passport or another passport that allows for visa free travel as a tourist in the Schengen zone?

EasyJet, and indeed all airlines, will bear the cost of transporting back to your departure point if you are refused entry at your destination. So clearly something about your passport/visa status set off alarms to them and caused them to believe you might be refused entry upon arrival at Amsterdam. It is also your responsibility to ensure your passport and visas are valid before travel, not theirs.

Regarding the ability to depart and not being notified ahead of time that you might not be able to return back, they probably did not notice that. When I have purchased tickets for international travel I have not had to enter passport or visa information at the time of purchase, only at time of check in. When the agent checks your passport at check in and at boarding, they are ensuring that you have a valid passport and, if required, a valid visa for the destination of the flight you are boarding. Meaning at no point in your dealing with them would they have checked for a valid passport and visa for the entirety of the purchased trip, they would only have checked it for the individual segments.

I am not a legal expert, but my guess is that the combination of 1) their contract of carriage not allowing transit passengers, 2) it being your responsibility, not that of the airline, to ensure you have the proper passport and visa prior to travel, and 3) the ticket being non-refundable, means you are out of luck on this one. Sorry.
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Old 06-09-2017, 05:18 AM
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Never heard of "no transit pax".
I travel quite a bit I Europe on a US passport, never had a problem, but also never traveled on Not So Easy Jet.
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Old 06-09-2017, 05:27 AM
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"Do you have a U.S. passport or another passport that allows for visa free travel as a tourist in the Schengen zone?"
NO this was the problem. I was Transit without a visa but I did not know Easy Jet did not allow this. The issue is whether or not they had a contractual obligation to inform me of this policy before I left AMS on leg 1.

"I am not a legal expert, but my guess is that the combination of 1) their contract of carriage not allowing transit passengers, 2) it being your responsibility, not that of the airline, to ensure you have the proper passport and visa prior to travel, and 3) the ticket being non-refundable, means you are out of luck on this one. Sorry."

Yes you are probably correct but the Dutch do allow Transit. Easy Jet is attempting to perform the Dutch Immigration's job for them. My only viable argument is whether or not they should have informed me in AMS I could not return in a transit status. Had I flown on KLM or BA it would have not been an issue.
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Old 06-09-2017, 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted by EXPAT1 View Post
"Do you have a U.S. passport or another passport that allows for visa free travel as a tourist in the Schengen zone?"
NO this was the problem. I was Transit without a visa but I did not know Easy Jet did not allow this. The issue is whether or not they had a contractual obligation to inform me of this policy before I left AMS on leg 1.

"I am not a legal expert, but my guess is that the combination of 1) their contract of carriage not allowing transit passengers, 2) it being your responsibility, not that of the airline, to ensure you have the proper passport and visa prior to travel, and 3) the ticket being non-refundable, means you are out of luck on this one. Sorry."

Yes you are probably correct but the Dutch do allow Transit. Easy Jet is attempting to perform the Dutch Immigration's job for them. My only viable argument is whether or not they should have informed me in AMS I could not return in a transit status. Had I flown on KLM or BA it would have not been an issue.
I think you would have to check the contract of carriage. If it it mentions they do not allow transit passengers, that would be your notification.
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Old 06-10-2017, 04:45 AM
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Originally Posted by NEDude View Post
I think you would have to check the contract of carriage. If it it mentions they do not allow transit passengers, that would be your notification.
I appreciate your help but still disagree. I have been told by gate agents at Easy Jet in LGW it does say this. Just because it does, does not mean I was prudently or reasonably notified. Even United Airlines found out the hard way via a multi-million dollar lawsuit that even though your contract of carriage states something a passenger still has a reasonable expectation and certain rights as the Illinois Doctor Dao settled for United's mishandling of a situation which was stated in a contract of carriage. The only issue I am asking here is does Easy Jet have any obligation or liability if they did not inform me of a very strange and bizarre policy which is almost borderline illegal as it certainly infringes upon the authority of the Dutch Immigration system. Traveling in a transit status is done by millions of passengers every day and I have never heard of such a ridiculous policy and even though I think Easy Jet should have informed me they certainly do not. In the end I lost 1 day and about $1000 for another ticket on Aeroflot along with the non-refundable Easy Jet ticket. Sometimes shXX happens. Anybody have any small claims experience?
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Old 06-10-2017, 05:07 AM
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Originally Posted by EXPAT1 View Post
I appreciate your help but still disagree. I have been told by gate agents at Easy Jet in LGW it does say this. Just because it does, does not mean I was prudently or reasonably notified. Even United Airlines found out the hard way via a multi-million dollar lawsuit that even though your contract of carriage states something a passenger still has a reasonable expectation and certain rights as the Illinois Doctor Dao settled for United's mishandling of a situation which was stated in a contract of carriage. The only issue I am asking here is does Easy Jet have any obligation or liability if they did not inform me of a very strange and bizarre policy which is almost borderline illegal as it certainly infringes upon the authority of the Dutch Immigration system. Traveling in a transit status is done by millions of passengers every day and I have never heard of such a ridiculous policy and even though I think Easy Jet should have informed me they certainly do not. In the end I lost 1 day and about $1000 for another ticket on Aeroflot along with the non-refundable Easy Jet ticket. Sometimes shXX happens. Anybody have any small claims experience?
Feel free to disagree. You are talking about United Airlines and U.S. law and trying to compare it to easyJet and and E.U. law. Two different animals. But the airlines have a well established right to deny boarding to those who do not have proper travel documents for their destination. In this case all easyJet could truly verify in their system was that your destination was Amsterdam and, as you freely admit, you did not have proper travel documentation for the Netherlands/Schengen Zone. Had your onward ticket not been valid (many European LCCs do not have computer systems that can see into other reservation systems and a printout can easily be forged), and the Dutch authorities denied your entry, easyJet would have been responsible to return you to the UK.

Good luck, and I do hope I am wrong. But I think you are swimming upstream here.
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Old 06-10-2017, 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by NEDude View Post
Good luck, and I do hope I am wrong. But I think you are swimming upstream here.
You are probably right, just looking at whether a small claims case might be feasible. I did research there has been a precedent set but obviously different facts but maybe a chance at a claim against them.

£5,000 victory for the man who put easyJet in the dock | Daily Mail Online
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Old 06-11-2017, 06:44 AM
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Passengers are 100% responsible to know and comply with immigration requirements.

Airlines have no responsibility to inform you of those (specific) requirements in advance, unless they do not comply with standard TITMATIC rules.

You mention that their contract of carriage specifically mentions that they do not allow transit passengers, so you were in fact notified.

If you show up at the gate without proper documents/passport/visa, they have every right to deny boarding.

sorry but you are 100% responsible.
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Old 06-11-2017, 08:02 AM
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Originally Posted by navigatro View Post
.

Airlines have no responsibility to inform you of those (specific) requirements in advance, unless they do not comply with standard TITMATIC rules.
.
This is the main point. Easy Jet is going against what TIMATIC rules provide for. The Dutch Immigration clearly lists TMOV or Transit Without Visa is valid as long as the stay is less than 24 hours, the passenger does not leave the Transit part of the airport terminal and a valid onward destination ticket is in their possession. Transit is a very routine status for travel. I understand now after the fact Easy Jet does not allow this status but KLM, British Airways and most carriers do allow it from London to AMS. It is as if Easy Jet is trying to lose business here. My whole point of contention is I was traveling on a round trip Easy Jet ticket and I feel Easy Jet had a responsibility to inform me while I was in transit in AMS on my first leg of my journey. I traveled to AMS no problem as I had an onward ticket in hand. Was it prudent or reasonable of Easy Jet to not inform me of this policy on Leg 1. If anybody has any small claims experience I would appreciate it.
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