A warning to anybody travelling abroad this summer!

[monkehUK]

Having just lived through the worst two days of my adult life I thought I'd leave a message here that could hopefully stop somebody from going through the same heartbreak that I've just experienced.

My girlfriend and I have been saving hard for the last 8 months for the holiday of our dreams, a week long break in a 5 star Beach resort in the Dominican Republic. We were due to fly out yesterday morning and turned up at Manchester airport excited at the prospect of flying to our dream destination. She's had a pretty sh*t year so far and we were hoping this break would be just what the doctor ordered. We turned up at the check in desk and gave the lady our passports/tickets etc. She looked at my passport and asked us to wait while she went and checked a detail with her superior. 10 minutes later she returned and broke the news to us that I wouldn't be allowed to fly due to my passport being damaged!! We were in total shock. The lady told us that the damage could be due to a forged passport and that due to new legislation anyone found to have a damaged passport would be refused the right to fly. Granted the passport was a little dog eared on one corner but it was nine years old and was due for renewal next year. We were ushered to the Airtours operation desk where they advised me to go to Liverpool Passport Office to get a same-day replacement while my girlfriend would be better off going ahead and boarding the flight. With me following her the next day and joining her a day late. We nearly followed this advice but something told us to stay together. Thank god we did, because after leaving the airport and following hours of phonecalls to the passport office, we've discovered that the quickest turnaround on a replacement lost/stolen/damaged passport is in fact 7 days!!!

As a result of all this we've lost our dream holiday and our Travel Insurance doesnt cover an 'invalid passport' so we can't claim financial compensation. We're out of pocket to the tune of £1,400 and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it!

Hopefully this will serve as a warning to anyone travelling abroad this summer to check their passports for the slightest damage and avoid the heartbreak that me and my girl are going through at the moment...

-------------

I've since found this article in the Independent which states that the flight agents are screening passports/visas due to cash incentives.
http://travel.independent.co.uk/news_and_advice/story.jsp?story=636165

 

[Jam Man]

Dude that sucks

'fraid I can't offer anything more helpful than that......

 

[stuie]

i feel for you reading that, jesus that's so bad :x

bitch could of turned a blind eye.

 

[jrd]

that's out of order! They should maybe think of informing the public of these new changes!

And the fact that you aren't getting any refund makes it even worse!

 

[Leese]

thats so shit, sorry to hear about that, you poor things, have you been to citizens advice to check that there is absolutely no way you can get any money back etc?

Thanks for letting us all know about this too

 

[spunkymonkey]

As a result of all this we've lost our dream holiday and our Travel Insurance doesnt cover an 'invalid passport' so we can't claim financial compensation. We're out of pocket to the tune of £1,400 and there's absolutely nothing we can do about it!

I wouldnt let this one lie until you get some sort of compensation. Its subjective as to whether your passport was damaged or not. You should get other opinions and tackle Airtours on the issue. If the passport was not as bad as you make it out to be, then you should have a case. I would also stress to airtours and the travel company how much you spent and how you cant afford it and how your gf has had a bad year etc etc. Cry if you need to. My sister is MD of a large travel agents and I missed my flight coming back for her wedding. Getting another flight was impossible but she got me booked on one. She told me if there was any problems at the airport you should always start crying, and dont get angry with them. It nearly always works. I did have a problem in the end as they said the flight was overbooked and they couldnt let me on. I turned on the water works and had a boarding pass within 5 minutes. Ive used it twice since also to great effect.

If you booked with a credit card, you may want to check if the credit card company will give you some sort of compensation. It mightn't work but worth a try.

Fight them.....you will come out with something in the end. Dont give in too easy.

 

[Morbyd]

Shocking. Really sorry to hear that, mate. Fully agree with spunkymonkey that you've got to fight for some compensation.

Another cautionary tale:

I'm now on my 3rd passport in 5 years for similar reasons. In Russia, foreigners have to carry their passports at all times and American passports just aren't meant for such abuse (Americans don't travel much, and when they do, they normally show the passport at the airport and then leave it in the hotel or at home!)

As soon as my passports started to look ratty, I would get held up at passport control on a regular basis, and Russia has border guards on both entry and exit! They would twist and turn it (which I'm sure really helped!), hold it under the ultraviolet light, call a border guard supervisor over, etc. My wife began going to separate cues at passport control! And she'd insist we go to the airport hours early because we nearly missed a flight once (for some reason, I had more problems on exit than entry!). I even had to pay a 500 ruble bribe once on entry.

So, the moral of my story is, even if you can get out of the UK on a damaged passport, you might not be able to get in to some countries with one. As soon as it starts to look bad, replace it. Don't wait.

 

[jjinit]

Absolute bummer!!!!

I do know from experience that in order to go to the caribbean et al that you need at least 6mths left on a passport before you travel, which I found out 3 weeks before travelling to st lucia, luckily for me though I managed to to to L'pool and do it in a few hrs, which makes me wonder why they told you it would take at least 7 days???

anyway big NO NEED!!!!!! to immigration, surely they have this arse upwards??? ie you were LEAVING the uk?? not entering??

p.s the guys are right!!! DO NOT let this lie......, I agree that it is "subjective" if your passport is valid ir not?? Fookers!!!

 

[Morbyd]

anyway big NO NEED!!!!!! to immigration, surely they have this arse upwards??? ie you were LEAVING the uk?? not entering??

So, the moral of my story is, even if you can get out of the UK on a damaged passport, you might not be able to get in to some countries with one. As soon as it starts to look bad, replace it. Don't wait.

 

[silvia]

In Spain there's police stations in airports and most of these are able to make a copy of your passport if damaged, it only takes 5 minutes

 

[kitty]

awww sorry to hear that fella....hope you and your girlfriend arent to upset...definately go and try to get some compentsation x

 

[N8]

American passports just aren't meant for such abuse (Americans don't travel much, and when they do, they normally show the passport at the airport and then leave it in the hotel or at home!)

Exactly like the new EU / UK passports Flimsy cheap little things that get messed up easily! Old Brit passports used to be practically indestructable and last a lifetime (well the full Ten years at least) now thanks to the great EU we get crap little things that bend if you so much as look at them wrong

 

[Leese]

American passports just aren't meant for such abuse (Americans don't travel much, and when they do, they normally show the passport at the airport and then leave it in the hotel or at home!)

Exactly like the new EU / UK passports Flimsy cheap little things that get messed up easily! Old Brit passports used to be practically indestructable and last a lifetime (well the full Ten years at least) now thanks to the great EU we get crap little things that bend if you so much as look at them wrong

just another way to make more money from us, no?

 

[Scoobie]

American passports just aren't meant for such abuse (Americans don't travel much, and when they do, they normally show the passport at the airport and then leave it in the hotel or at home!)

Exactly like the new EU / UK passports Flimsy cheap little things that get messed up easily! Old Brit passports used to be practically indestructable and last a lifetime (well the full Ten years at least) now thanks to the great EU we get crap little things that bend if you so much as look at them wrong

Thats probably because the rest of the EU only needs to use them if they travel outside of the EU-for the rest of the time they can use their plastic ID cards.

 

[jjinit]

American passports just aren't meant for such abuse (Americans don't travel much, and when they do, they normally show the passport at the airport and then leave it in the hotel or at home!)

Exactly like the new EU / UK passports Flimsy cheap little things that get messed up easily! Old Brit passports used to be practically indestructable and last a lifetime (well the full Ten years at least) now thanks to the great EU we get crap little things that bend if you so much as look at them wrong

and they're smaller!!!

Like 0.5 litre instead of a pint!!!

 

[Morbyd]

Exactly like the new EU / UK passports Flimsy cheap little things that get messed up easily! Old Brit passports used to be practically indestructable and last a lifetime (well the full Ten years at least) now thanks to the great EU we get crap little things that bend if you so much as look at them wrong

Good move! In ours, the pages are held to the cover by threads sewn into the paper that's glued on the inside of the cover. As the passport gets used, the paper between each of the thread's stitches started to pop open. Eventually, the inside pages are, to use a cliche, hanging on by a thread!

This instead of a simple couple of long-lasting staples! Or maybe even sewing the pages to the durable part of the cover.

 

[N8]

How much is it for you to get a new passport? It's a bargain £80 i think for a new UK passport now Rip-off Britian!

 

[Morbyd]

How much is it for you to get a new passport? It's a bargain £80 i think for a new UK passport now Rip-off Britian!

$40 to replace a lost or mutilated passport at the embassy.

I actually got my 4th passport in 5 years last autumn. 1 lost, 2 mutilated.

 

[monkehUK]

Thanks guys...

Finally we've had some good luck, my new passport has come through and our family & friends have had a whip round and come up with the money for a fortnight ticket to Cancun-Mexico. We've had to spilt the cost of the other one between us and we're flying out on Monday from Manchester!!!

Get the f**k in....

 

[puppylover]

Thanks guys...

Finally we've had some good luck, my new passport has come through and our family & friends have had a whip round and come up with the money for a fortnight ticket to Cancun-Mexico. We've had to spilt the cost of the other one between us and we're flying out on Monday from Manchester!!!

Get the f**k in....

Still think you will be well within your rights to claim compo for the original trip from somewhere........ publicise the b@5t@rds on Watchdog or something....