A family from Widnes were left stranded at Liverpool John Lennon Airport after their nine-year-old son was denied boarding due to a passport rule. Dan Sharples, 41, his wife Laura, and their two sons were due to fly to Portugal on June 23 for an annual trip with Dan's former rugby club.
Passport validity issue
While the parents and their three-year-old were cleared to travel, the older son Spencer was refused boarding because his passport, though unexpired, was within three months of its expiry date. Under post-Brexit rules, British passport holders are treated as third-country nationals, requiring passports valid for at least three months after the planned return date.
Dan said he handed all passports to Hays Travel when booking the trip. He claimed the travel agent checked them in three weeks before travel and issued boarding passes without flagging any issues. The family only discovered the problem at the gate, after passing bag drop and security.
No refund offered
Dan contacted Hays Travel after the incident and said the company was apologetic but refused a refund. A Hays Travel spokesperson said agents advise customers at booking to check travel document validity via the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website, and that Mr Sharples was given that advice.
Dan said: 'We had booked it earlier in the year, probably around February. We had it planned for a while. We missed the group trip last year so we decided to go this year, only to end up missing it again.' The family lost their holiday and received no compensation.
