Woman barred from TUI flight at Gatwick due to 'slight mark' on passport forced to pay £1,200

A British holidaymaker was forced to shell out £1,200 for a same-day British Airways flight to Cancun after she was blocked from boarding her original TUI plane because staff feared a "slight mark" on her passport would see her turned away by Mexican border control.

Laila March, 25, a private tutor from Croydon in south London, thought she was getting a "cheap deal" with TUI for less than £1,000 per person when she booked a week's holiday to the tropical beach destination with her sister Kaemarnie, 21, to celebrate her graduating from university.

When the pair arrived at Gatwick Airport on June 7, Laila was told she could not board the plane because her passport was damaged even though she uses it to travel regularly for work and had just flown back from Morocco the day before.

As a last ditch attempt, Laila, who is studying to become a French and Spanish teacher, decided to try her luck with British Airways (BA) and was shocked to learn they had "no issue" with her passport and would happily let her fly.

Not wanting her sister to travel alone, Laila purchased a last-minute ticket for £1,200 and had no problem clearing customs after arriving in Mexico only a few hours later than expected.

But having to shell out an extra £1,200 put a dent in Laila's savings which she planned on using in September, when she starts her postgraduate degree in education at the University of Cambridge.

She complained in the hope of getting refunded for the pricey ticket and, after initially being told TUI had closed her case, more than two weeks later the company has now agreed to reimburse her.

"I think it's just insane that TUI can say my passport is damaged and not allow me to board for fear I'm not going to be allowed into Mexico by passport control, and then for another airline to have no issue with the same passport, let me fly to Mexico and then I get through passport control," Laila told PA Real Life.

"I'm studying to become a teacher, I start in September, and that money was money that I had saved up towards getting myself set up for university."

According to the UK Passport Office's website, a passport is considered damaged if "you cannot read any of your details, any of the pages are ripped, cut or missing, there are holes, cuts or rips in the cover, the cover is coming away or there are stains on the pages, for example ink or water damage".

"It was a very small mark, almost like a little scratch on the right hand side of the page but you would have to look very carefully to see it I hadn't even noticed until they pointed it out," said Laila.

Laila wanted to book a holiday to celebrate her little sister graduating from the University of Keele with a law degree.

They found "a really cheap deal" on the TUI website, a one-week holiday at the Azul Beach Resort Riviera in Cancun, Mexico, for under £1,000 per person, flights included.

"It was the first time we were going on holiday just the two of us," added Laila.

The pair were due to depart from Gatwick Airport on June 7, a day after Laila arrived back in the UK from Morocco, where she had been working as a private tutor.

They arrived at the North Terminal TUI check-in desk two hours early, expecting to collect their tickets with plenty of time to relax before their flight.

Laila said the check-in assistant scanned their passports and was about to hand over their boarding passes when she spotted a small stain in the top right of her picture page.

"She was like, 'What's happened to your passport? What's this mark on it?'," Laila said. "Apparently there was a slight mark on the photo page, but it wasn't over any of the details and you could still read everything."

"She called someone who took my passport and disappeared for half an hour, even though I explained, I flew into this airport yesterday and have travelled many times in the past year." After waiting 45 minutes, Laila was informed she could not board the plane.

"They said Mexico has really strict passport control so I might not be let 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 get to Mexico and they send me back, it's going to be a charge for them."

Laila said she was given three options, to apply for an emergency passport and travel a few days later, to change the name on her booking so someone else could travel in her place, or to see if another airline would accept her passport.

"They told me British Airways was flying out from the South Terminal this afternoon: 'Maybe you could try with them?'," explained Laila. "But you've just said that my passport was damaged, how can you recommend I use another airline?"

Laila did not want to ruin her sister's graduation holiday but at the same time was concerned because she had never been travelling alone.

"Ultimately, I had to find a way," she said. With no time to spare, Laila headed for the South Terminal to plead her case. "I spoke to someone who works at Gatwick and showed them my passport," she said.

"I told them what TUI had said and he was like 'that's not damaged, go speak to British Airways and see what they say'. I don't see why they wouldn't let you board'."

The BA desk examined her passport and confirmed she could purchase a fresh ticket for £1,200 and fly out that very afternoon. "They were able to scan my passport and print out my boarding pass, just like the lady at TUI," said Laila. "There was absolutely no issue, I just had to pay an extra £1,200..."

Upon arrival, Laila was still apprehensive, thinking Mexican border control could still turn her away but again, they examined her passport and waved her through. I gave them passport and they looked at the mark," said Laila.

"I understood what they were saying because I speak Spanish. They were saying her passport isn't damaged because no pages have been ripped out, you can still scan it and everything is clear, readable and you can see her face."

Laila raised a complaint with TUI in the hope of getting 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 June 16 she received an email saying her case had been closed.

Then last week, on June 21, she received another message to say the company would be refunding the cost of the BA ticket in the next two weeks. After arriving at the hotel, Laila said it was a "good holiday" but that the whole experience was tarnished by her having to pay so much money.

The £1,200 was money Laila had been saving for when she starts her postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) at Cambridge University in September to become a French and Spanish teacher. "I'm going to study at Cambridge University and it's not a cheap city, so that money could have gone towards my deposit," she said.

Laila has another holiday booked with TUI to Jamaica in September this year and fearing she will be turned away again, has applied for a new passport. "This whole experience with TUI has just left a sour taste in my mouth and I just want to avoid it happening again."

A TUI UK & I spokesperson said: "We're sorry to hear Ms March was unable to travel with TUI as planned due to the damage on her passport. Customers are informed by email, and on our website, at the time of booking and prior to travel that UK Government's passport requirements must be followed."

"We strongly advise that customers check their passports are damage free as if there is any concern a passenger could be denied entry to their destination, they will be denied 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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