By: NATASHA SMITH
TWO CHILDREN aged 11 and 16 were not allowed to board an easyJet flight from Faro to the UK because they were too young to travel alone, despite the airline’s policy allowing children aged 16 and over to accompany younger siblings.
Helen Avison told The Resident that her two sons were due to fly to the UK, where she lives permanently, to spend two weeks with her, but when they were at the check-in desk in Faro airport, staff told them that they were too young to fly on their own.
When users book flights for children on the easyJet website, an age restriction panel pops up to inform the user that children under 14-years-old must be accompanied by an adult aged 16 or over. Therefore, Mrs Avison could not understand why her sons were refused.
easyJet press officer Samantha Day told The Resident: “While our policy is 16-years-old (to accompany), Portugal does have its own law that overrules this.”
The law states if a minor under the age of 18 is travelling to or from Portugal without their mother, father or legal guardian, they must present an authorisation to travel in a prescribed form signed by the parents or legal guardian.
This document is needed for all flights and the signature must also be notarised if the father, mother or legal guardian resides in Portugal, or authenticated by a Portuguese embassy or consulate in the country where the father, mother or legal guardian reside.
This travel authorisation is also required when minors are accompanied by a person other than their father, mother or legal guardian. In such cases, the document must also clearly show the name of the accompanying person.
Samantha Day added: “Foreign minors under 18-years-old and travelling alone may be refused entry if they do not have anyone in Portugal taking responsibility for their stay.”
While easyJet and other airlines have their own policies about accompanying ages, certain countries in Europe, including Portugal, Spain and France, have their own laws, which overrule the airlines’ policies. This information is available in most airlines’ terms and conditions, including easyJet’s.
As a result of this situation, Mrs Avison was forced to pay 400 pounds sterling to travel to Portugal and accompany them back to the UK herself. She was also forced to cancel a trip that she had planned with her boys within the UK.
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