Kieran Harris may not be a common name in Britain, but it’s not an uncommon combination of first and last name. This was fatal to a 21-year-old Briton because he was mistaken for a namesake before a flight.
Harris wanted to fly to the Spanish city of Alicante at the end of May. But the day before the flight, he received an email from the airline Easyjet: There was talk of a ten-year flight ban that the airline had imposed on him and that would not end until 2031. His “previous disruptive behavior” was given as the reason. Apparently Easyjet had confused Harris with a criminal who not only has the same first and last name but also has the same birthday.
“I was devastated,” the Briton told the Mirror newspaper: “I no longer had a booking, no seat on the flight. It made no sense for me to go to the airport.” At least the misunderstanding was cleared up: Easyjet asked him for a passport photo to prove his identity. When it was clear that it was the wrong Kieran Harris, the grounding was lifted – a few hours before departure.
The 21-year-old is particularly annoyed that the airline’s naming convention was only noticed so late. “We booked a month ago and checked in online more than a week ago,” he said. “There was more than enough time to contact me.” It took him almost a whole day to clear up the misunderstanding. An Easyjet spokesman apologized for the inconvenience.
The other, Kieran Harris, is a man who was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for drunken rioting on a flight a few years ago. It’s not the first time there has been a mix-up. The innocent Kieran Harris told The Mirror that the police once even stormed his house. He was also mistaken for the criminal during a traffic check. To avoid such situations in the future, Harris is even considering changing his name.
Quelle: “Mirror”
