A frustrated couple vowed to 'never' fly with TUI again after they were refused entry onto their flight.
Penny Priestly, 59, and husband Doug were set to fly to Benidorm but instead were left hundreds of pounds out of pocket and turned away at check-in.
The pair headed to East Midlands Airport May 16, set for a ten-day sizzling spring holiday in the Spanish hotspot, spending £1,800 on a package holiday through the travel company. But once they arrived, they were told they wouldn't be allowed to fly, due to their passports being ten years old.
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Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, 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."
After being turned away at the desk by TUI, Penny and Doug headed to Jet2, who suggested that they could fly out with them and return on their original TUI flights. However, the couple claim that TUI would not allow this to happen. They also alleged that TUI staff at the airport told them if they had gone days earlier it would have been fine.
Penny added: "They said if we had gone on Saturday we would have been alright."
The Saturday would have been May 13, and on the ten-year mark since the pair had their passports issued.
Penny continued: "We paid another £860 and Jet2 looked into it and said we could go back with them and just fly one way with them, but then a supervisor came over. He also said we would lose the hotel if my husband didn't ring up, so we had to ring the hotel up and tell them we were coming a day later."
Since Penny and Doug flew the next day, they lost all of their original transfers from the airport to the hotel.
As soon as they returned home, her husband went into their local TUI store and expressed his frustration at the situation.
The couple claimed: "They said if we had gone on Saturday we would have been alright."
Penny swore that the duo would 'never ever' fly with TUI again, adding: "We will always use Jet 2 now or Ryanair, or even easyJet - they could fly us as well."
The couple managed to get on their holiday at a later date with Jet2 for £860, but they couldn't have their TUI flights or transfers refunded due to it being a package deal.
A spokesperson for TUI, said: "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."
The government policy states your passport must be:
- Issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country (check the ‘date of issue’)
- Valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave (check the ‘expiry date’)
This information can be found on the government website (Entry requirements - Spain travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which TUI encourages all customers to check before booking flights.
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