Teenagers with no ID refused on flight

Jetstar’s refusal to let two teenage boys board their flight home because they lacked identification has outraged one of their parents.

Christchurch table tennis partners Daniel Jefferies and Zack McKeller, both 15, tried to check in for their flight home on Sunday night at Auckland Airport.

Staff at the Jetstar counter would not allow them to board without identification, despite the boys having no trouble checking in at the automatic kiosk the day before.

The boys missed their flight and flew home the next day after their parents sent identification documents.

Jetstar spokesman Phil Boeyen said the case was unfortunate but company policy required all passengers to carry identification. The rule ‘‘had been in place for several years’’ and was clearly posted on the website, he said.

Daniel’s father, Andrew Jefferies, was ‘‘outraged’’ at the company’s stance.

‘‘They can pretty much just refuse anyone at their whim. Not everyone has a passport and you don’t send a 15-yearold boy off with a birth certificate to cart around the country. It’s unbelievable they didn’t use their common sense.’’

The need for identification was buried on the website, he said, and it was unfair some passengers were forced to provide it while some were not. The boys flew often and had never had a problem before.

Boeyen said all passengers, including young children and infants, could be required to provide identification.

‘‘If you check in at the counter, you need identification. That rule applies to everyone regardless of their age and has done so for several years. If you check in online or at the kiosk, you don’t necessarily need to show ID, that would be pretty hard to monitor, but you could be asked to show it,’’ he said.

According to Jetstar policy, all children travelling independently must carry proof they are attending secondary school, or they are older than 12.