Passport Missing at Departure Lounge in Corfu Airport

“Passport Missing at Departure Lounge in Corfu Airport”

Written on: 16/04/2012 by tsam (1 review written)

Due to fly out back to Manchester late on a Friday night, handed my passport into baggage area to get weighed and collect boarding pass.Made way to metal detector area (2 of) only one was being used to usher 300 people through for two flights (Manchester & Bristol).
I was asked to put coat, coins, keys, electricals, passport into tubs and collect other side.Got frisked turned around to get belongings and 'passport' was gone (in the space of 6ft !!)
Basically it was a rush and a free for all going through the machine - no order.
Raised the alarm, the police did nothing, the other airport staff processing the passengers accused me of leaving my passport at my hotel!!
The police and other officials had just under 2 hours to find my passport before my flight took off - there attempts and actions were poor.
Disgusted by lack of help from police, easyjet staff and basically left at 23:45 stranded in the airport, everywhere shut due to Greek Easter Holidays.
Beware if you use this airport, something fishy is going on, I'm under the impression my passport was either mistakingly taken by a UK traveller or stolen on purpose to keep me in the country so I'd have to spend more money.
There was a shift change in personel on the metal detector area 5 minutes after I raised the alarm.
Easyjet made two feeble tannoy announcements to the UK travellers in the departure lounge to check if they had picked up a 2nd passport by mistake - no-one came forward!
The police did not step up passport checks and didn't seem to concerned about going into the deprarture lounge to get my passport.
Phoned both Bristol and Manchester airports and no one handed anything in, I await to contact the UK passport agency to see if its been handed in annonymously.
Basically my pp was stolen whilst proceeding to the departrue lounge in Corfu airport, whether it be by the security firm operating the metal detector area or another passenger has picked it up, I had no help, there is no area to leave baggage temporarily in order to find a hotel, the police are reluctant to give any reports to help, without a passport or police report you don't get a hotel room!
Be warned - my advice is put / keep your passport in your bag zipped up at all times!
It is quite costly if yours goes missing!
Emergency passport from the British Consulate in corfu, Hotel costs, car parking in the UK,phone bills calling around, extra cost to airline to rebook flight,food costs etc