Wrongly Denied Boarding to Spain at LHR
Jun 11, 2021, 4:20 am
#1
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Wrongly Denied Boarding to Spain at LHR
I am a fully vaccinated US citizen traveling from ORD to BCN with a layover at LHR. Spain recently opened to fully vaccinated tourists with few exceptions (e.g. Brazil, India).
I flew from ORD to LHR with no issues. At LHR, however, I was denied boarding to BCN despite having both the CDC card (our only proof of vaccination in the US) and the SpTH QR code.
The BA gate agent called the BA office overseeing entry requirements who said that the CDC card is not a valid vaccination certificate.
Spain accepts the CDC card as a valid vaccination certificate and I have not heard of anyone else running into this issue on other airlines (even Iberia).
I am currently waiting on the BA customer service desk to sort this out but they're running into the same issue with the abovementioned BA office...
I flew from ORD to LHR with no issues. At LHR, however, I was denied boarding to BCN despite having both the CDC card (our only proof of vaccination in the US) and the SpTH QR code.
The BA gate agent called the BA office overseeing entry requirements who said that the CDC card is not a valid vaccination certificate.
Spain accepts the CDC card as a valid vaccination certificate and I have not heard of anyone else running into this issue on other airlines (even Iberia).
I am currently waiting on the BA customer service desk to sort this out but they're running into the same issue with the abovementioned BA office...
Jun 11, 2021, 4:31 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Traveling the World
Posts: 6,075
Try being rebooked on Iberia or a new BA flight and claim compensation for being wrongly denied boarding..It helps to have a printout of the entry requirementss of the country you are visiting. If an agent wants to deny me boarding due to entry requirementss I ask for a Station Manager to come down. Generally these Level 1 Ticketing agents are not versed. If the Station Agent cannot board me I have them call Customs of the country I'm flying to. If I have to purchase a new ticket and Iberia flys me I then call or homphydically to the ticket counter of BA in Spain and ask for a refund from the original airline upon arrival at the airport as generally they would know more than the BA agent in London.
Jun 11, 2021, 4:34 am
#3
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Try being rebooked on Iberia or a new BA flight and claim compensation for being wrongly denied boarding..It helps to have a printout of the entry requirementss of the country you are visiting. If an agent wants to deny me boarding due to entry requirementss I ask for a Station Manager to come down. Generally these agents are not versed. If the Station Agent cannot board me I have them call Customs of the country I'm flying to. If I have to purchase a new ticket and Iberia flys me I then call and ask for a refund from the original airline upon arrival at the airport as generally they would know more than the BA agent in London.
Jun 11, 2021, 4:41 am
#5
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Has there been anything from the Spanish authorities to say a CDC card is a valid certificate? That would help your cause if so.
This seems to have the information for Spain https://www.spth.gob.es/info-pcr & https://www.mscbs.gob.es/en/profesio.../nCov/spth.htm
This seems to have the information for Spain https://www.spth.gob.es/info-pcr & https://www.mscbs.gob.es/en/profesio.../nCov/spth.htm
Jun 11, 2021, 4:47 am
#6
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I am not familiar with the vaccination evidence required by Spain for US citizens, but might it be more expedient for you to get a COVID test done at T5 and travel armed with that?
Last edited by Tobias-UK; Jun 11, 2021 at 5:00 am
Jun 11, 2021, 4:55 am
#7
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Has there been anything from the Spanish authorities to say a CDC card is a valid certificate? That would help your cause if so.
This seems to have the information for Spain https://www.spth.gob.es/info-pcr & https://www.mscbs.gob.es/en/profesio.../nCov/spth.htm
This seems to have the information for Spain https://www.spth.gob.es/info-pcr & https://www.mscbs.gob.es/en/profesio.../nCov/spth.htm
The US embassy in Spain has this to say:
Vaccine certificates, such as those provided by the CDC, are being accepted to allow entry for U.S. citizens into Spain. Please refer to the Spain Travel Health portal (FAQs) for more detailed information. We will continue to update this website as more information becomes available.
Jun 11, 2021, 4:57 am
#8
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Jun 11, 2021, 5:03 am
#10
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Update:
The BA supervisor (huge thank you to her – worked tirelessly for two hours just on my case) found someone higher up who agreed with her that the CDC card is valid. I got rebooked onto the BCN flight later today. I presume I can file for some sort of compensation for having to spend my afternoon at LHR...
The BA supervisor (huge thank you to her – worked tirelessly for two hours just on my case) found someone higher up who agreed with her that the CDC card is valid. I got rebooked onto the BCN flight later today. I presume I can file for some sort of compensation for having to spend my afternoon at LHR...
Jun 11, 2021, 5:04 am
#11
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Update:
The BA supervisor (huge thank you to her – worked tirelessly for two hours just on my case) found someone higher up who agreed with her that the CDC card is valid. I got rebooked onto the BCN flight later today. I presume I can file for some sort of compensation for having to spend my afternoon at LHR...
The BA supervisor (huge thank you to her – worked tirelessly for two hours just on my case) found someone higher up who agreed with her that the CDC card is valid. I got rebooked onto the BCN flight later today. I presume I can file for some sort of compensation for having to spend my afternoon at LHR...
Doc Copper
Jun 11, 2021, 5:42 am
#12
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: OSL
Posts: 2,647
How about a thank you through the official channel for the manager? The rules are not easy to navigate these days with different countries changes its rules frequently, so keeping abreast is difficult at the best of time. Whilst I'd be angry in your situation as well, I do find seeking compensation is a bit off these days for these things (though you are probably perfectly entitled to).
Jun 11, 2021, 5:58 am
#13
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This is what Timatic lays down as the requirements (my bolding):
There's absolutely no mention in there of what constitutes a valid certificate, so I can perfectly well understand the BA check-in agent denying you boarding until the necessary assurances had been received from the Spanish immigration authorities.
Airlines rely pretty much exclusively on Timatic as their bible and defence against denied boarding claims. I'm not going to categorically say that you don't have a valid claim against BA, but it does seem that the actions they took were wholly proportionate to what's written in Timatic, and that it was reasonable for them to take further advice before allowing you to board. It is your responsibility to check that what Timatic says you need, you unequivocally have - particularly at times like this. The airline will not start looking at every website or piece of guidance that's out there, and what you quoted is the US Embassy's interpretation, not even from an official Spanish government source. That is not going to help your case, I'm afraid.
That they cleared you to fly in a couple of hours or so is actually pretty impressive, and if brought before a court under EC261 I would think the airline has quite a solid defence. My opinion is that this is one to chalk up to to experience and the vagaries of travel at the moment - I'm afraid lots of things are being pulled around and it's necessary to accept that if you want to travel you may have to put up with stuff just not running as it normally might.
I don't think I've had a single itinerary over the past 18 months that hasn't changed in some way, many of them by considerably more than the delay you experienced at LHR. It just is what it is.
Originally Posted by Timatic
Passengers must have:
- a negative COVID-19 NAAT or antigen test taken at most 48 hours before arrival. The test result must be in English, French, German, Spanish or accompanied by a certified Spanish translation; or
- a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Janssen, Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, Serum Institute of India, Sinopharm or Sinovac at least 14 days before arrival; or
- a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at least 11 days after the positive COVID-19 NAAT test result. The sample for the certificate must have been taken at most 180 days before arrival.
- a negative COVID-19 NAAT or antigen test taken at most 48 hours before arrival. The test result must be in English, French, German, Spanish or accompanied by a certified Spanish translation; or
- a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria), Janssen, Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, Serum Institute of India, Sinopharm or Sinovac at least 14 days before arrival; or
- a COVID-19 recovery certificate issued at least 11 days after the positive COVID-19 NAAT test result. The sample for the certificate must have been taken at most 180 days before arrival.
Airlines rely pretty much exclusively on Timatic as their bible and defence against denied boarding claims. I'm not going to categorically say that you don't have a valid claim against BA, but it does seem that the actions they took were wholly proportionate to what's written in Timatic, and that it was reasonable for them to take further advice before allowing you to board. It is your responsibility to check that what Timatic says you need, you unequivocally have - particularly at times like this. The airline will not start looking at every website or piece of guidance that's out there, and what you quoted is the US Embassy's interpretation, not even from an official Spanish government source. That is not going to help your case, I'm afraid.
That they cleared you to fly in a couple of hours or so is actually pretty impressive, and if brought before a court under EC261 I would think the airline has quite a solid defence. My opinion is that this is one to chalk up to to experience and the vagaries of travel at the moment - I'm afraid lots of things are being pulled around and it's necessary to accept that if you want to travel you may have to put up with stuff just not running as it normally might.
I don't think I've had a single itinerary over the past 18 months that hasn't changed in some way, many of them by considerably more than the delay you experienced at LHR. It just is what it is.
Last edited by NWIFlyer; Jun 11, 2021 at 6:05 am
Jun 11, 2021, 6:29 am
#14
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This is what Timatic lays down as the requirements (my bolding):
There's absolutely no mention in there of what constitutes a valid certificate, so I can perfectly well understand the BA check-in agent denying you boarding until the necessary assurances had been received from the Spanish immigration authorities.
Airlines rely pretty much exclusively on Timatic as their bible and defence against denied boarding claims. I'm not going to categorically say that you don't have a valid claim against BA, but it does seem that the actions they took were wholly proportionate to what's written in Timatic, and that it was reasonable for them to take further advice before allowing you to board. It is your responsibility to check that what Timatic says you need, you unequivocally have - particularly at times like this. The airline will not start looking at every website or piece of guidance that's out there, and what you quoted is the US Embassy's interpretation, not even from an official Spanish government source. That is not going to help your case, I'm afraid.
That they cleared you to fly in a couple of hours or so is actually pretty impressive, and if brought before a court under EC261 I would think the airline has quite a solid defence. My opinion is that this is one to chalk up to to experience and the vagaries of travel at the moment - I'm afraid lots of things are being pulled around and it's necessary to accept that if you want to travel you may have to put up with stuff just not running as it normally might.
I don't think I've had a single itinerary over the past 18 months that hasn't changed in some way, many of them by considerably more than the delay you experienced at LHR. It just is what it is.
There's absolutely no mention in there of what constitutes a valid certificate, so I can perfectly well understand the BA check-in agent denying you boarding until the necessary assurances had been received from the Spanish immigration authorities.
Airlines rely pretty much exclusively on Timatic as their bible and defence against denied boarding claims. I'm not going to categorically say that you don't have a valid claim against BA, but it does seem that the actions they took were wholly proportionate to what's written in Timatic, and that it was reasonable for them to take further advice before allowing you to board. It is your responsibility to check that what Timatic says you need, you unequivocally have - particularly at times like this. The airline will not start looking at every website or piece of guidance that's out there, and what you quoted is the US Embassy's interpretation, not even from an official Spanish government source. That is not going to help your case, I'm afraid.
That they cleared you to fly in a couple of hours or so is actually pretty impressive, and if brought before a court under EC261 I would think the airline has quite a solid defence. My opinion is that this is one to chalk up to to experience and the vagaries of travel at the moment - I'm afraid lots of things are being pulled around and it's necessary to accept that if you want to travel you may have to put up with stuff just not running as it normally might.
I don't think I've had a single itinerary over the past 18 months that hasn't changed in some way, many of them by considerably more than the delay you experienced at LHR. It just is what it is.
Incompetence of the staff is not an excuse and from my point of view, OP is entitled to compensation. Airlines also need to keep up with ever changing regulations, not just the passengers, even if that means to brief all the staff on a daily basis.
In another scenario, he would have had to pay up for another flight, maybe even accomodation etc.
Jun 11, 2021, 6:32 am
#15
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OP had exactly that, a proof that he/she was fully vaccinated. The text in bold doesn’t specify what form that certificate has to be, only the type of vaccines used.
Incompetence of the staff is not an excuse and from my point of view, OP is entitled to compensation. Airlines also need to keep up with ever changing regulations, not just the passengers, even if that means to brief all the staff on a daily basis.
In another scenario, he would have had to pay up for another flight, maybe even accomodation etc.
Incompetence of the staff is not an excuse and from my point of view, OP is entitled to compensation. Airlines also need to keep up with ever changing regulations, not just the passengers, even if that means to brief all the staff on a daily basis.
In another scenario, he would have had to pay up for another flight, maybe even accomodation etc.
I do recognise that the Spanish authorities are accepting the CDC card in lieu of a certificate, but this isn't clear from the timatic entry.