A British holidaymaker was forced to fork out £1,200 for a British Airways flight to Cancun the same day after she was refused boarding her original TUI flight because staff feared a “small stain” on her passport would result in her being turned away at Mexican border control.
Laila March, 25, a private tutor from Croydon, south London, thought she was getting a “great deal” with TUI for less than £1,000 per person when she booked a week-long holiday to the tropical beach destination with her sister Kaemarnie, 21, to celebrate her university graduation.
When the couple arrived at Gatwick Airport on 7 June, Laila was told she could not board the plane because her passport was damaged, even though she regularly uses it for work travel and had only flown back from Morocco the day before.
In a last-ditch effort, Laila, who wants to become a French and Spanish teacher, decided to try her luck with British Airways (BA). To her surprise, she learned that they had “no problem” with her passport and were happy to let her fly.
Not wanting her sister to travel alone, Laila bought a last-minute ticket for £1,200 and had no problems clearing customs, arriving in Mexico just a few hours later than expected.
However, the extra £1,200 she had to shell out cut into Laila’s savings, which she had planned to spend in September when she begins her postgraduate degree in education at Cambridge University.
She complained in the hope of getting a refund for the expensive ticket. At first she was told that TUI had closed her case. However, more than two weeks later the company agreed to refund her the amount.
“I just think it’s crazy that TUI can say my passport is damaged and deny me boarding because they’re afraid I won’t be allowed to enter Mexico at passport control. Then another airline has no problem with the same passport, lets me fly to Mexico and get through passport control,” Laila told PA Real Life.
“I’m studying to be a teacher, I’ll start in September and I’ve been saving the money to prepare for university.”
According to the UK Passport Office website, a passport is considered damaged if “you can no longer read your information, any of the pages are torn, cut or missing, the cover has holes, cuts or tears, the cover is coming loose or the pages are stained, for example from ink or water damage.”
“It was a very small mark, almost like a small scratch on the right side of the page, but you have to look very closely to see it. I hadn’t noticed it until they pointed it out to me,” said Laila.
Laila wanted to book a holiday to celebrate her little sister’s law degree from the University of Keele.
They found “a really good deal” on the TUI website: a week-long holiday at the Azul Beach Resort Riviera in Cancún, Mexico, for under £1,000 per person, flights included.
“It was the first time we went on holiday just the two of us,” Laila added.
The couple were due to fly out of Gatwick Airport on 7 June, a day after Laila returned to the UK from Morocco where she had been working as a private tutor.
They arrived two hours early at the TUI check-in counter in the North Terminal, assuming that they would collect their tickets in time and have enough time to relax before their departure.
Laila said the check-in agent scanned their passports and was about to hand them their boarding passes when she noticed a small stain on the top right of their photo page.
“She asked, ‘What happened to your passport? What is that stain on it?'” Laila said. “Apparently there was a small stain on the photo page, but it didn’t obscure any details and you could still read everything.”
“She called someone who took my passport and disappeared for half an hour, even though I explained that I landed at this airport yesterday and have traveled many times in the past year.” After waiting for 45 minutes, Laila was told she could not board the plane.
“They said Mexico has very strict passport controls so I might not be allowed into the country,” said Laila. “According to them, my passport was damaged so they couldn’t allow me to fly with TUI because if I arrive in Mexico and they send me back, they’ll have to charge.”
Laila said she was given three options: apply for an emergency passport and travel a few days later, change the name on her booking so someone else could travel in her place, or see if another airline would accept her passport.
“You told me British Airways was flying out of the South Terminal this afternoon: ‘Maybe you could try them?'” Laila explained. “But you just said my passport was damaged. How can you recommend another airline?”
Laila didn’t want to spoil her sister’s graduation holiday, but at the same time she was worried because she had never traveled alone before.
“In the end, I had to find a way,” she said. Wasting no time, Laila headed to the South Terminal to present her case. “I spoke to someone who works at Gatwick and showed him my passport,” she said.
“I told them what TUI had said and he said, ‘It’s not damaged, talk to British Airways and see what they say.’ I don’t understand why they wouldn’t let you on board.”
The BA desk checked her passport and confirmed that she could buy a new ticket for £1,200 and fly out that same afternoon. “They were able to scan my passport and print my boarding pass, just like the lady at TUI,” said Laila. “There was absolutely no problem, I just had to pay an extra £1,200…”
Upon arrival, Laila was still worried and thought Mexican border control might still turn her away, but they checked her passport again and waved her through. “I gave them my passport and they looked at the stamp,” Laila said.
“I understood what they were saying because I speak Spanish. They said her passport was not damaged because no pages had been torn out, it could still be scanned and everything was clear and legible and you could see her face.”
Laila lodged a complaint with TUI in the hope of receiving a full or partial refund for her BA flight, which cost more than the holiday. She was told TUI would investigate the matter, but on 16 June she received an email saying her case was closed.
Then last week, on June 21, she received another message saying that the company would refund her the cost of the BA ticket within the next two weeks. After arriving at the hotel, Laila said it had been a “lovely holiday” but the whole experience was marred by having to pay so much money.
Laila had saved the £1,200 to start her studies at Cambridge University in September, where she hopes to become a French and Spanish teacher. “I’m going to study at Cambridge University and it’s not a cheap city, so I could have used the money for my deposit,” she said.
Laila has booked another holiday with TUI to Jamaica for September this year and has applied for a new passport because she fears she will be rejected again. “This whole experience with TUI has left a bitter taste in my mouth and I just want to avoid something like this happening again.”
A TUI UK & I spokesperson said: “We regret that Ms March was unable to travel with TUI as planned due to the damage to her passport. Customers are advised by email and on our website at the time of booking and prior to travel that UK Government passport requirements must be followed.”
“We strongly advise our customers to check that their passports are undamaged. If there is any suspicion that a passenger may be refused entry to their destination, they will be refused travel at the discretion of our check-in team. Details of passport validity can be found here: www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport/replace”
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