A mother has lost her £820 holiday after being denied boarding by EasyJet at Manchester Airport due to a tear in her passport. Donna Fairclough, 42, was due to fly to Malta with her partner Gary Broadley, 55, on January 3, but staff refused to let them travel because of damage to the document.
Ms Fairclough said she was 'gobsmacked and heartbroken' when told she could not fly, as she believed the tear was minor. She explained: 'I don't actually know when it ripped. We went to Tenerife last year and everything was fine. The rip wasn't as bad as it looks in the photo. At the time, it was a tiny rip above the picture.'
The tear, which extended across roughly half of the photograph page, was described by Ms Fairclough as initially about a quarter of an inch. She added: 'I said to my partner, you can still see my face and my passport number and it didn't affect any of that. That's what I couldn't understand.'
EasyJet has refused to reimburse the couple, categorising the damage as accidental. The UK Government website warns that a torn passport is considered damaged and may prevent travel, advising replacement as soon as possible.
An EasyJet spokesperson said: 'We're sorry to hear that Ms Fairclough was not able to go on her holiday... Our airline works closely with the authorities and complies with their guidance to ensure the safety and security of customers and crew, and this means we can't allow anyone to travel if their documentation is damaged.'
Ms Fairclough has now obtained a new passport and urged others to thoroughly check their travel documents. She said: 'Even if it's a little rip or a little crease. Anything they might think might stop you from flying.'
