A social media influencer has been criticised online after claiming she was wrongly banned from boarding a flight due to a “common” passport mistake.
Charlotte Taundry was due to fly from Birmingham Airport to Dublin with Ryanair when she was stopped at the boarding gate and told her passport was invalid.
Despite the document showing an expiry date of October 2026, airline staff informed her it could not be accepted because it had been issued in January 2016, placing it beyond the 10-year validity limit applied for travel to many European destinations.
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Charlotte believed her passport was still valid, explaining that it included an additional nine months carried over from a previous document – a practice that was permitted before Brexit.
She also claimed she had recently travelled to several European cities, including Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam, using the same passport without any issues.
However, she was removed from the Dublin flight after staff deemed the document out of date under current rules.
Speaking about the incident, Charlotte, from Staffordshire, said she initially accepted the decision, believing the regulation applied to Ireland, as reported by What’s The Jam.
But after sharing her experience online, she was told by others that Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area and operates its own entry requirements, meaning the 10-year rule does not apply in the same way.
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As a result, some social media users accused her of misunderstanding the rules, while others criticised the airline’s handling of the situation.
Charlotte Taundry’s video was viewed 258,000 times, with over 1482 likes and 175 comments.
One user said: “Different rules for UK / Ireland travel – it’s not affected by Brexit and Schengen rules.
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“UK and Ireland are in the Common Travel Area – that person who denied boarding was wrong – claim your costs back.”
Laura added: “It has to be within 10 years of issue plus there needs to be 3 months remaining.
“The two requirements are separate – the 3 months remaining could be after the 10 years since issue date.”
Another person said: “What’s the point in an expiry date if it’s not the actual date of expiry? Makes zero sense.”
Rebecca said: “For goodness sake. Pay for a passport, but I can’t even use if for the amount of time you pay for. Ridiculous.”
Ian said: “What a thick woman. Everyone surely knows now it’s 10 years from date of issue!”
One person added: “It’s been common knowledge for years now. Wake up.”
The influencer has since attempted to contact Ryanair for clarification but says she has yet to receive a response.
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