A dream family holiday to the sun-soaked Canary Islands turned into a nightmare for one UK family after airline staff ordered their crying teenage son off the flight, leaving them devastated and thousands of pounds out of pocket.
The Harvey family from County Durham were moments from jetting off to Lanzarote when their 17-year-old son, Brandon, was abruptly refused boarding. The reason? His child passport had expired just two months prior, despite having over five years until its official expiry date.
'You're Not Coming With Us'
Brandon's mother, Leanne Harvey, described the heart-wrenching scene as staff showed "no compassion whatsoever". "He was sobbing his heart out," she recounted. "They just looked at him and said 'you're not coming with us'."
The family had been unaware of a crucial Brexit-related rule change: while adult passports remain valid until their expiry date, child passports issued before September 2018 are only valid for five years, not ten. This technicality, missed by the family and even their travel agent, became the trip's undoing.
A Costly Oversight
The financial impact was immediate and severe. Not only were the family forced to abandon their £2,800 holiday, but they also face the prospect of losing an additional £1,800 for a pre-booked cruise. Their travel insurance has refused to cover the loss, citing the invalid travel document as the cause.
Ms. Harvey expressed her fury at the airline's handling of the situation, arguing that a simple warning during the online check-in process 48 hours prior could have averted the entire disaster. "If it had been flagged then, we could have sorted it," she stated.
Jet2's Firm Stance
In a statement, a Jet2.com spokesperson stood by the crew's decision, emphasising their strict adherence to "international regulations" which require all passengers to hold valid travel documents. The airline maintains that the ultimate responsibility for ensuring documentation is valid lies with the passenger.
The incident serves as a stark warning to all UK families planning trips abroad in the post-Brexit landscape, highlighting the critical importance of double-checking passport validity rules for every member of the family.
