It’s hard to believe, but EasyJet twice ruined my eight-year-old daughter’s flights to Paris by claiming that because she has a Croatian passport she needed a visa, which she doesn’t.

The first time, my daughter, who was travelling with my mother and was excited about her surprise trip to Disneyland, had checked in, cleared customs and was about to board before a staff member claimed she could not enter France without a visa.

They ended up missing their flight and my daughter was left in tears, totally devastated. EasyJet eventually admitted it was wrong and rearranged the flight. So, a week later, they tried again. At the departure gate, they were rudely told they couldn’t board.

After arguing for several minutes, and after my mother demanded three times that the EasyJet official check the booking notes, staff reluctantly did so, then said they could proceed. There was no apology and no courtesy. It was the second time in two weeks my family had been put through this humiliation. David Gasson, Croatia

EasyJet replies: “Our ground staff, while trained in passports and visas, are not immigration officers and so need to check for confirmation sometimes. They refer to the Iata guide, an industry publication to which all countries submit their requirements. The printed guide states that Croatian passport-holders require a visa.

We have now found the Iata website has different guidance. We apologised and provided the passengers with a free flight and made a note in the booking to prevent any confusion. When the passengers came to travel again, the ground staff checked the manual with the incorrect information; however, the passenger challenged this and was allowed to travel.

The process we put in place to ensure they wouldn’t have a problem worked. We have brought this inconsistency to the attention of Iata and are looking at web access for ground staff, as the online version is more up to date.”

Times recommends

• Checking into ‘Europe’s dirtiest hotel’
• The best out of season European breaks
• Smugshots special: wintersports