Will it be tricky to get back from Mallorca after Brexit?

Q I saw your question about someone planning to fly to Italy on Brexit day, 29 March. I am flying from Glasgow to Mallorca on 25 March and back on 1 April. If the homeward flight is disrupted, am I still covered for hotels, etc?

What worries me most are passport rules. My passport expires on 29 July 2019. I was not planning on any future trips and therefore am reluctant to renew it. But the government now says that I will need six months’ validity after Brexit, which clearly I will not have. What do you recommend?

Sandra L

A Let me deal first with the issue of flight disruption. I cannot see any prospect of flights from Glasgow to Mallorca outbound on 25 March being messed up by the continuing saga of Brexit. Coming back on 1 April, I cannot rule out some disruption as new arrangements come into effect. There could be, for example, delays caused by increased scrutiny by airport staff of passport validity. If the UK leaves the European Union with no deal, strict new rules for British travellers to the EU will come into force. This might delay aircraft departing from UK airports. But I would be surprised if the disruption was severe enough to trigger long delays or cancellations. Even if there were any problems, you would be covered by European air passengers’ rights rules by dint of departing from an EU airport. So you will be entitled to meals, accommodation and an alternative flight home, as necessary.

Now to your status as British traveller in the EU after Brexit. Many thousands of people will be in the same position: on holiday or on business trips abroad on Brexit day. A significant proportion of those will have passports that, technically, would not qualify for admission to the European Union. But I foresee no problem so long as you are returning after a short visit.

For all arrivals up to 11pm UK time (midnight in much of continental Europe) on 29 March, British travellers must be treated as every other EU citizen, and admitted without question (yes, even if their passport expired that very day). I don’t imagine for a moment that the authorities will be seeking out “overstayers”. So the first contact you will have is with passport officials on the way out. Whatever the validity of your passport, as soon as you step on the flight from Spain, you cease to be a problem.

I anticipate border staff will take a pragmatic view of British travellers returning home after Brexit. But for outbound travellers, as we hand back control, arriving in the EU will be much trickier than it currently is.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder