Woman forced to pay £1,200 for a new flight after being denied due to passport 'damage'

A British holidaymaker was forced to pay an additional £1,200 for a same-day British Airways flight to Cancun after she was denied boarding her original TUI plane due to concerns over a "slight mark" on her passport. Staff had feared would result in her being rejected by Mexican border control.

Laila March, 25, a private tutor from Croydon in south London, believed she had secured 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, as a graduation celebration. However, upon their arrival at Gatwick Airport, Laila was informed she could not board the plane due to her passport being damaged despite her frequent use of it for work travel and having just returned from Morocco the previous day.

In a desperate attempt, Laila, who is studying to become a French and Spanish teacher, decided to try her luck with British Airways (BA) and was surprised to find they had "no issue" with her passport and were willing to let her fly. Not wanting her sister to travel alone, Laila bought a last-minute ticket for £1,200 and encountered no issues clearing customs upon her arrival in Mexico, albeit a few hours later than planned.

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However, the unexpected expenditure of an extra £1,200 has impacted Laila's savings, which she had intended to utilise in September when she commences her postgraduate degree in education at the University of Cambridge. After lodging a complaint in the hopes of being refunded for her costly ticket, she was initially informed by TUI that her case had been closed. However, more than two weeks later, the travel company has now agreed to issue her a refund.

She said: "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. 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."

The UK Passport Office's website outlines that a passport is deemed 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".

Laila said: "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."

Laila had planned a holiday to celebrate her younger sister's graduation from the University of Keele with a law degree. They stumbled upon "a really cheap deal" on TUI's website, offering a one-week stay at the Azul Beach Resort Riviera in Cancun, Mexico, for less than £1,000 per person, including flights.

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

The duo had planned to fly out from Gatwick Airport on Friday, June 7, with Laila returning to the UK from Morocco the day before, where she'd been working as a private tutor. They reached the North Terminal TUI check-in desk well ahead of time, two hours before their flight, anticipating a smooth process to get their tickets and some downtime before departure.

At the check-in, Laila recounted that the assistant scanned their passports and was about to issue their boarding passes when she noticed a minor blemish at the top right of her passport's picture page. After a lengthy wait of 45 minutes, Laila was told she would not be allowed on the plane.

Lails said: "They said Mexico has really strict passport control so I might not be let into the country."

Laila was presented with three options after being told her passport was too damaged to fly: apply for an emergency passport and travel later, change her booking for someone else to use, or try flying with another airline. She said: "They told me British Airways was flying out from the South Terminal this afternoon: 'Maybe you could try with them?"

However, she questioned the advice, saying: "But you've just said that my passport was damaged, how can you recommend I use another airline?"

To her relief, British Airways allowed her to buy a new ticket for £1,200 and fly out that afternoon. She said: "They were able to scan my passport and print out my boarding pass, just like the lady at TUI. There was absolutely no issue, I just had to pay an extra £1,200..." Upon reaching Mexico, her fears of being turned away were unfounded as border control let her through without issue.

"I gave them passport and they looked at the mark. 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."

After lodging a complaint with TUI in hopes of securing a full or partial refund for her BA flight, which was pricier than the holiday itself, Laila was initially informed that TUI would look into the issue. However, on Sunday, June 16, she received an email indicating her case had been closed. But then, in a turn of events last week on Friday, June 21, Laila got another message confirming that she would be reimbursed for the cost of her BA ticket within the following fortnight.

Despite enjoying the hotel stay, Laila expressed that the overall experience was marred by the unexpected financial burden. She said: "I'm going to study at Cambridge University and it's not a cheap city, so that money could have gone towards my deposit."

With another TUI holiday to Jamaica scheduled for September this year and concerns over potential travel issues, Laila has opted to apply for a new passport. She said: "This whole experience with TUI has just left a sour taste in my mouth and I just want to avoid it happening again."

A spokesperson for TUI UK & I expressed regret over the incident. They 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."

For further information, they directed travellers to the official guidelines: "Details of passport validity can be found here: www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport/replace".

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