Josh Reekie was due to fly to Phuket, Thailand, with wife Eden for their honeymoon but the electrician encountered an issue at Manchester Airport around his passport
A groom was “absolutely gutted” to be banned from boarding a flight to Thailand for his £2,000 honeymoon — due to a problem with his passport.
Staff at the Etihad Airways check-in desk inspected Josh Reekie’s passport and, reportedly after 30 minutes, he was told he would be unable to catch his flight due to damage on the document. The faint smudge, from on a 2019 travel stamp, was deemed water damage and sufficient for staff at Manchester Airport to deny Josh travel.
But Josh and Eden, whose passport was fine, had forked out £2,400 on flights and accommodation for their two-week TUI package holiday to celebrate tying the knot. Furious with the experience, Josh, 31, said today: “They said there was a stamp that had smudged slightly from Thailand 2019.
“Fair enough there’s a smudged stamp, but who’s to say that didn’t happen when they stamped it and closed the passport. I can’t think of a time where it’s come into contact with water, the picture page was perfectly fine.
“They said I couldn’t fly because it was damaged. We went and stood outside and just didn’t know what to do. It’s a very surreal feeling walking into an airport then walking out the departure lounge. We were stressed because of all the money we’d spent.”
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Josh, who is an industrial electrician, claims he has travelled with the same passport 12 times in the last year with no issue. Nevertheless, he frantically applied for a new document after leaving the airport to try and make the rest of their holiday.
But Josh, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, says holiday provider TUI cancelled the return flight and accommodation in Thailand after the couple were unable to board their outbound flight. Devastated, the couple forked out for a last-minute getaway to Cyprus, but claim Etihad Airways and TUI should now refund them.
Josh said: “We were really looking forward to it. I hadn’t long flown with that passport so I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. I travelled 12 times in 11 months with that passport and had no issues.
“We arrived at the Etihad Airways check-in and we got to the desk and he looked at both our passports and said they were both water-damaged.
“The duty manager started checking them and taking photos of them. Half an hour passed and I kept asking what was happening. No one told us anything about what was happening, she just turned around and said ‘I’m really sorry but you can’t fly’.”
How to replace or renew a UK passport
The electrician, who was eventually able to get a new passport within two days, has complained to TUI and Etihad Airways and is demanding compensation. He added: “I felt really disappointed because there was no empathy or remorse from Etihad Airways.
“I know they probably see it daily but people save up all year to go on holiday. For someone on the check-in desk to just say ‘you’re not going’, I can’t understand how someone can have that authority to refuse you and not be able to get a second opinion.
“If it was the picture page, I could understand it, but the fact it was the stamp page just annoyed me. We were absolutely gutted, it was soul-destroying. I just hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else. We’d like our money back. We’ve had no help from TUI or Etihad.”
An Etihad spokesperson said: “A passenger flying from Manchester to Phuket on 7 October was denied boarding due to visible water damage in their passport at the time of check-in.
“Etihad consulted Thailand’s immigration authorities who advised the airline not to board the passenger based on the passport’s condition.
“Check-in staff therefore did not allow the passenger to board in compliance with regulatory guidance and destination entry requirements based on the condition of the passport at the time of travel.
“British passports must be machine-readable and fully intact, with no torn pages, water damage, delamination or illegible details, to comply with Thailand’s immigration policy.”
The Mirror has contacted TUI for comment.
