Nothing illegal in this, but there was a debate last night about this and I would like to ask you: how can a person leave the uk to spain without having the passport checked at all, not even to check in or something else? I'm not talking about entering Spain, just about exiting the uk. And using the wrong name?

Thanks.

Several times I have traveled from Birmingham airport and never had my passport checked. It is terrible our lives could be put in danger because of this!!

To be a little pedantic, I presume you mean UK citizens? I've seen many, for example Spanish citizens, travelling from the UK to Spain and they produce their ID cards. Many don't have a passport and indeed don't need one for travel between EU states, just this card. That's one of the reasons I was upset that the ID card wasn't introduced in the UK. If it had have been, when travelling between EU countries I wouldn't have needed a UK passport at all, just the card at a huge cost saving!
Before the card idea was dropped, I recall that certain parts of the UK (NW England/Manchester?) were invited to apply for the card as a trial. Don't know how many did apply and if so, if such cards are still valid for travel between EU countries.

Most UK airlines require you to supply passengers information up front before you travel to Spain. If you travel from Spain to the UK for example it is only the airlines that check your ID as you leave as they don't want to pay the heavy fine should you be an illegal immigrant - Spain couldn't care less as you are leaving. Of course border checks are then made in the UK as it is not part of Schengen (thank goodness)

Surely using the wrong name as you have put it is illegal. I would have thought that attempting to leave without a passport would be sheer stupidity.

Rosemary

Shouldn't happen ever, however if you have no checked in luggage, and get your tickets on line, then you could get as far as the security check withoout a valid passport, but, unless they are very slack, you should get stopped there.

As said previously the check just before you go through security at UK airports only looks at your boarding card. Often when accessing a Spanish plane, the crew are only interested in the boarding card.

hide away in the boot of a car and take the ferry/tunnel

But as stated before, you can only print your boarding card having entered passport details online as required by Spanish authorities. If you can get across to France you could cross the France/Spanish road border without check.

Whenever I have been on a coach trip to mainland Europe from UK I have rarely had to show my passport other than hold it up for a head count. The details are entered on a form that is passed around on the coach and then handed by the driver to the border control.

Most UK airlines? It must be all of them. I never heard of an airline that doesn't require you to give them your details.

No, I didn't mean just UK citizens, anyone.

You mean anyone can put a wrong name and they don't bother checking it?

Yes, but you still have to show your passport or give details of it to travel to France, so still you can't do it without a passport being checked.

I don't think they check passports to travel by ferry to Ireland, do they? That's because UK citizens and Irish don't need to but, how can they know who is UK citizen and who is not?