Aer Lingus has changed its policy for customers travelling between Britain and Ireland and is demanding all passengers carry passports from tomorrow (25 February).
Under the new rule, alternative forms of photo ID will no longer be accepted. The move will apply to Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional services between Ireland and the UK in both directions.
Until now, Aer Lingus has allowed passengers to use a wide range of photo ID as part of the Common Travel Area (CTA ) arrangement between the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, which allows citizens to travel between the countries without a valid passport.
A spokesperson for Aer Lingus said: “All customers (including Irish or British nationals) travelling on Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional services between the Republic of Ireland and the UK will now require a valid passport or Irish passport card.
“The other forms of photo ID (driver’s licence, etc.) previously accepted will no longer be valid for travel.
“Passengers travelling on domestic services with Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Emerald Airlines, are exempt from this updated travel policy. Domestic services include Belfast-UK and Dublin-Donegal routes. This aligns with the travel document requirements across the rest of our network and will ensure consistency and further improve our operational performance for our customers.”
Ryanair has required passengers between the UK and Ireland to show passports for several years.
According to The Independent, Aer Lingus’ sister airline British Airways, will continue to allow passengers to travel without passports on routes from London City and Heathrow to Dublin. However BA sells Aer Lingus flights on its website, so anyone that purchases an Aer Lingus ticket direct from BA may not realise they will now need a passport to travel.
