A family holiday to Mallorca was nearly ruined after a mother was caught out by a post-Brexit passport rule, costing her £500 and two days of her trip.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was stopped at the departure gate despite having more than six months left on her passport. A staff member informed her that since Brexit, UK passports must have been issued less than 10 years before the date of arrival in an EU country, in addition to having at least three months validity beyond the planned departure date.
She was forced to send her husband and sons ahead while she arranged a new passport and flight. The passport application cost £222, and a new flight plus travel expenses added another £300. She eventually joined her family two days later.
The airline declined to reimburse her, stating that passengers are responsible for checking their documents. She argues that airlines should proactively flag passport validity issues during online check-in, as they do for extras like seat selection.
An estimated 100,000 passengers a year are affected by this rule, with some families forced to abandon holidays entirely. The woman urges travellers to check their passport issue date and EU entry requirements before flying.
