Supreme Court: Airline exceeded its authority when checking official documents. The British low-cost airline refused to board an Iraqi citizen on a flight from Vienna to London because he supposedly did not have a visa. An existing valid residence card that would have entitled him to visa-free entry was not accepted by EasyJet. The company assumed that the person concerned did not actually meet the requirements for the officially issued residence card. The refusal to transport the passenger was inadmissible, the Supreme Court (OGH) has now ruled in a case brought by the Association for Consumer Information (VKI). The carrier must therefore reimburse the cost of the expired flight tickets and make compensation - twice: to the person concerned and his wife who was travelling with him. The wife could have used her ticket, but the husband's refusal to transport him was ultimately tantamount to his wife's refusal to transport him, according to the court. "Easyjet has assumed the authority to question whether the residence card was issued legally by the Austrian authorities. The review of such a document must be limited to the authenticity and accuracy of the information contained therein. Easyjet had no concrete evidence in this case that would have suggested abuse of law or fraud," commented VKI lawyer Verena Grubner on the verdict. Easyjet accepts the verdict "Like all other airlines, Easyjet is obliged by the relevant authorities to ensure that all passengers can present the correct, valid travel documents in order to guarantee the safety of all passengers and crew," a spokesperson for the airline told Aviation.Direct. "We regret that the passenger concerned was wrongly denied travel.