Anish Vij
A family from Oldham were forced to miss out on a dream £7k Thailand holiday over a minor passport mistake.
The group of four couldn’t wait to explore the islands around Phuket and were supposed to fly out to Thailand on Friday (August 4).
Suzanne Senior, her husband Steven, their daughter Bethany and her boyfriend were all at Manchester Airport attempting to check into their flight when the staff member spotted a slight obscurity.
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The employee refused to accept Bethany's passport after spotting a small rip on the 24-year-old's photo ID page.
As a result, Bethany was not allowed to fly.
Suzanne and Steven decided to stay behind with their daughter while her boyfriend chose to travel to Thailand alone.
The mum opted to approach another airline desk and forked an extra £5,000 for the family to go to Turkey.
The 55-year-old says the carrier had no issue with Bethany’s passport.
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All three flew out to Hisaronu the very same day.
“We’re absolutely devastated,” gran-of-six Suzanne told the Manchester Evening News.
“We had plans to go and see the elephants, the islands, everything. We’d looked forward to that holiday for 12 months.
“I’m fortunate that I could go to that desk in Manchester Airport and book another holiday. Not everyone is in that position, they’d have to go home.”
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“We couldn’t even see [the rip],” Suzanne added. “Loads of people said there was nothing wrong with it.
“It’s a tiny millimetre tear. We don’t know why it was turned away."
“We’ve forked out another £5,000 to come here,” Suzanne added. “I’ve got £3,000 of Thailand baht currency in the luggage that I can’t even use.
“We’re going to try and claim it back on the insurance. It’s a nightmare. Honestly, you couldn’t write it.”
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Qatar Airways said in a statement: “The airline follows relevant Government guidance around the world concerning passenger identification documents, to ensure everyone can travel and be able to enter their destination without issue. “Damage such as detached pages and tears, particularly to the personal details page, in addition to laminate peeling, can result in a passport being deemed invalid for travel.
“We recommend that passengers ensure their travel documentation is in order before travelling.”
A passport is classified as damaged when someone cannot use it as proof of identity because of its condition, according to the government website. So, if you're still clinging to a slightly worn-out old passport, it might be worth double-checking its condition before you jet off abroad.