A couple were refused entry to their flight as they tried to head on a 10-day holiday to Benidorm, despite their passports being valid and in date. Penny Priestly, 59, and her husband Dug spent £1,800 on a TUI package holiday.
But when they got to the airport they were told their passports weren't good enough, and they wouldn't be allowed to board the plane. Penny said: "We just turned up and were waiting an hour in the queue, I think we were about fourth from last and the girl on the checkout said to the other girl, can you check those dates.
"She checked and said no they can't fly. Then a bloke came over, a supervisor or something, and he said our only alternative is to go to Jet2 and ask them if we can fly."
Penny said they have flown with TUI before but had never come across the airline's policy that passengers must have a minimum of a year left on their passports, reports NottinghamshireLive. TUI says the rules are not company policy but issued by the Government.
Each of the couple's passports expires in February 2024, which is nine months after the holiday they had planned. The couple said TUI staff at the airport told them if they had gone days earlier they would have been OK.
The previous Saturday would have been May 13, and the ten-year mark from when the couple's passports were issued. TUI says Government rules mean passports must be less than 10 years old before you can travel.
Jet2 offered to fly them for another £860 - but the flight wasn't until the next day and the couple would have missed their transfers and potentially lost their hotel place. They would also still have needed to fly home with TUI.
The couple eventually managed to go on holiday at a later date with Jet2 for £860 and they were not able to be refunded the TUI flights or transfers as it was a package flight.
A spokesperson for TUI has stated: "We’re sorry that Mr Priestly was unable to fly with TUI as planned as his passport did not meet the required government passport guidelines. We strongly advise that our customers check their passports are up to date before booking any flights.
"Details of passport validity guidelines can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice."
