A Cheshire couple missed their £973.30 dream holiday to Cappadocia, Turkey, after confusion over visa rules led to one of them being denied boarding.
Denied boarding at Manchester Airport
Peter and Rogelyn Wiles, from Crewe, had booked flights with Turkish Airlines from Manchester Airport for a trip to Cappadocia in May 2025. However, at the airport, Rogelyn was refused boarding by a gate agent, leaving the couple devastated.
Peter, 44, told the Mirror: "My wife was devastated, we had to get a taxi home as it was late on a Sunday and the trains had finished. This whole debacle has honestly had me questioning my sanity at times!"
Visa rule confusion
The couple encountered a problem during the booking process. Rogelyn, a Filipino national holding a UK spouse visa, had an expired Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card, as the UK had transitioned to digital eVisas. Her immigration status was valid until 2027, but the BRP card had lapsed at the end of 2024.
Before applying for Turkey's eVisa, Rogelyn contacted the Turkish Consulate, which advised her to use her BRP number as the "additional visa number" on the application form. However, at the airport, a Turkish Airlines agent insisted she should have used her UK "share code" instead, despite the eVisa printout stating that "eVisas of other countries are NOT accepted as supporting documents."
Failed attempts to recover money
Peter has tried to recover the money through his bank and Turkish Airlines, but without success. He claims Turkish Airlines gave vague explanations, initially citing an "issue" with the visa, then alleging the couple were a "no show."
Tesco Bank raised a chargeback, but the airline disputed it twice, and the bank eventually abandoned it. Peter then took the case to the Ombudsman, who ruled against him on technical grounds, as no valid Debtor-Creditor-Supplier agreement existed for his wife's ticket.
Ongoing impact
The ordeal has left Peter questioning himself. He said: "I've developed a complex about being misunderstood and feel I have to explain everything in detail."
A Tesco Bank spokesperson said: "We were sorry to hear about the experience Mr Wiles had when attempting to travel with his wife. After careful consideration, we concluded that his case didn't meet the criteria for a successful Section 75 claim. He referred his claim to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which upheld our decision."
Turkish Airlines failed to respond when approached for comment.
