Aberdeenshire family stranded by new rules as Lily barred — Stv News
stv news: Sarah Rodgers said her Aberdeenshire family was left in a “nightmare” after 11-month-old Lily was barred from flying home to the UK from Alicante. Rodgers and Philipp, both from Ellon, had travelled with Lily and their three-year-old daughter Heidi before discovering at the boarding gate that Lily could not return with them.
The family flew out from Aberdeen on April 23, but at the gate in Alicante they were told Lily did not have the correct documents to travel back to the UK. Rodgers said, “It’s just a ridiculous situation in my opinion. We just want to share it in case it can help other people.”
Alicante boarding gate
Rodgers said the family believed Lily could travel on her European passport. Lily was born and lives permanently in the UK, but holds an Austrian EU passport. The family had not yet applied for a British passport for Lily, and Rodgers said the booking process had led them to think the new rule did not apply to them.
“When we booked the flight it said if you are not British you’ll need an ETA to return to the UK, but as we are British we thought that didn’t apply to us,” Rodgers said. That misunderstanding left the family facing a choice at the airport: keep trying to board, or leave Spain and wait elsewhere.
February 25 rule change
Entry requirements for dual British nationals were overhauled from February 25 as part of the rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation system. The change had been in force for just weeks when Rodgers, Philipp, Lily and Heidi tried to come home, turning what had looked like a routine family holiday into a documentation problem at the airport.
After being refused boarding, the family flew from Spain to Austria to wait out the process. Rodgers said Lily was not eligible for emergency documents or a fast track passport application, which left the family without an immediate route back to the UK.
Waiting in Austria
Rodgers said the family feared they could remain stuck in Europe for several months while Lily waits for a British passport. “My husband has stayed with us just now to find out what’s happening but he can’t stay here for weeks because he has to go to work,” she said.
She also said the family had been unable to get clear help after being stopped. “No one we speak to can give us any answers, or any help in getting home. We have been passed from person to person, around each department and not received much help at all,” Rodgers said.
The practical effect for families like the Rodgerses is immediate: a child with one passport type may not be accepted for return travel unless the documentation matches the new rules. For this family, the next step is not another holiday plan but waiting in Austria while Lily’s passport issue runs its course.
