Couple refused entry on TUI flight at airport because unexpired passports were ten years old

A couple's trip to sunny Benidorm got off to a bad start after they were unable to board a TUI flight despite their passports being in date.

It's always nerve-wracking heading for the gate when you're catching a flight - despite taking every measure possible there's always the nagging anxiety that something, somehow, will go wrong.

Unfortunately for one couple, that anxiety was ultimately fulfilled, and they were unable to board their flight from East Midlands airport.

Geoffrey Robinson / Alamy Stock Photo

Penny and Dug Priestly had been looking forward to a ten-day holiday in Benidorm, having spent some £1,800 on a package deal with TUI.

But sadly, the pair ran into a surprise snag when they arrived at the airport on 16 May after discovering they were not allowed to board their flight despite both of their passports still having nine months left.

Penny, 59, told NottinghamshireLive: "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."

The reason they couldn't fly was because of a rule applying to certain EU countries which means that your passport must be less than ten years old, even if it's within date. Unfortunately for Penny and Dug, their passports were more than ten years old despite still having nine months left on them.

michael melia / Alamy Stock Photo

"They said if we had gone on Saturday we would have been alright," said Penny. Saturday would have been May 13, and would have meant their passports were just okay.

Eventually, the couple were still able to go on holiday, but had to pay another £860 in order to fly with Jet2 instead.

Penny said: "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."

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.

"Government rules state that for customers travelling to certain EU countries, passports must be issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country and must also be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave. We strongly advise that our customers check their passports are up to date before booking any flights."