Two year old terrorist
July 14, 2006 by upyourego
According to the Thomson Fly call centre we need photographic ID for my two year old son to travel within the British Isles.
Until recently the advice we were given was that as long as we take a Birth Certificate and travel with the child he wouldn’t need photo ID.
In fact, it wasn’t just for him it was for any child under 7 - but we had to call Thomson Fly to double check our flight information and decided to make sure the information on the Photo ID was correct - that’s when the guy told us we HAD to have photo ID or we would be turned away at the airport.
He didn’t respond to well when I said “my two year old might be a little monster but he’s hardly a terrorist”.
I wasn’t convinced the guy really knew what he was talking about so I decided to phone the Servisair handlers at Jersey Airport and they basically told us that the photo ID thing wasn’t true at all, that they didn’t think we needed ID for a two year old.
This wasn’t overly conclusive as the guy sounded like he was about 15 and on work experience so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to double check with Coventry Airport where the vast majority of flights coming in and going from are Thomson Fly flights.
After going round in circles on their phone system for a while, I eventually got through to a wonderful woman called Sarah who couldn’t do enough to help.
Basically she told us the Thomson Fly call centre gave us the wrong information - she said that, as long as the children are under 16 and that they are OUR children we didn’t need, not just photo ID, but any ID for travelling within the UK.
She even went as far as adding a note on our booking so people in Jersey know and calling the call centre to let them know they’re giving the wrong information.
To be honest though I’ve got a big problem with having to carry photo ID when I travel within the UK anyway - I’m a British Citizen and I shouldn’t have to prove it.
Call Centres
I personally have no problem with the outsourcing of call centres to other countries as often I’ve found the people on the other end to be more polite and courteous - less obviously bored with life BUT there are a few downsides to this and one is the lack of local understanding.
Someone within the UK would probably share the sense of anger at needing photo ID for a 2 year old and would look at it from a different perspective (other than the one written on the sheet in front of them).
But then it’s interesting to look at other countries perspectives on things that annoy or excite the British.
I was talking to a German a few weeks ago and he commented on the fact that the Jersey cars didn’t have the blue strip and EU flag and that some British cars in Jersey didn’t have the flag either.
When I said it was because in Jersey we’re not in the EU (States of Jersey decided the Blue Strip wasn’t even allowed and a Jersey Crest should be there instead) and in the UK people don’t want to be forced into something by the EU - he looked genuinely hurt.
It’s the differences that make the world interesting.
Ticket Price
I know I should feel bad about buying cheap airplane tickets because of the impact they have on the environment but it’s a short flight (45 minutes) and I only do it with the family twice or three times a year so I’m sure I can reassure my self.
The flight cost (before taxes and charges) about £12 return for the whole family - add airport charges and taxes and the price goes up to about £180 but that’s not a bad return fare from Jersey to Coventry in the middle of the summer.
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I booked a flight on 31/7/06 (after your problems with thomsonfly) Only AFTER booking I was told that my 2 year old needed a photo id. I had been flying with Thomson for the past 2 years using only my son’s birth certificate. I didn’t have a photo id and could not have got a passport in time for the flight. Thomson said “any photo id is ok, it doesn’t have to be a passport” I later phoned Coventry City Early Years information and they did considerable digging only to inform me that no photo id exists for 2 year olds. The first one they could find was for 14-16 year olds.
Both the booking agent and their supervisor (both apparently based in Manchester) refused to cancel my booking or reinburse my flight. I had to call back and talk to several people in Coventry. They said that I had been read the rules before booking (this had not happened) and they didn’t have to give my money back.
Everyone that I spoke to refused to admit that you do not need a passport to travel on a domestic flight. One even said, ” you need the photo id to bring your child back into the country”. I suspect that they have no idea where Jersey is or its British status. Another said “all airlines require photo id for children” a statement that I have discovered is nonsense, Flybe are happy to take my 2 year old son, they don’t even need his birth certificate.
I was on the phone for 40 minutes and in tears before one supervisor finally agreed to give my money back.
I was treated appaulingly by Thomsonfly and spoken to very rudely. I used to regularly fly with them but will no longer bother.
Jane
I know this isn’t much help to you now but the official policy for Thomson Fly and for Coventry Airport (when you eventually get to speak to someone who knows what they’re doing) is:
As long as the child is travelling with his/her parents then no photographic ID is needed until they’re 16.
We’ve just flown back from Coventry to Jersey without ID for my 2 year old although it wasn’t without hassle.
The woman at the check-in desk wasn’t having any of it so we insisted she get a manager who - after a bit of an argument and a few phone calls agreed that he didn’t need ID.
I’m researching this in more detail for an article that will be published at bbc.co.uk/jersey in the next week or so but the official policy IS no photo ID (for travelling within the British Isles) as long as the child is with his/her parents until they are 16.
The “official policy” is what Flybe quoted to me, when I eventually booked with them instead. I found Flybe call centre to be helpful, understanding and very friendly. They said that I didn’t even need his birth certificate, as long as I had photo ID and vouched for the child, then it was enough.
When I have been in Jersey recently, I asked at the airport about even needing his birth certificate (because they never seemed to ask for it on the return journey). The person I spoke to laughed and said that it wasn’t needed.
I fly regularly as all my family are in Jersey and I live in Coventry now. Thomson fly have been getting more and more unhelpful over recent flights. Unfortunately, I don’t feel that they service the island well and would give any tourist a poor image of the island before they get there.