A man left the airport fuming after being told he cannot board a TUI flight because of a passport rule change. Newlywed Christian Young, 49, and his wife Emily said the experience ruined their honeymoon as the couple were planning to fly to Santorini for a week.
The pair arrived at the East Midlands Airport (EMA) on Thursday (May 19) after dreaming of a perfect holiday surrounded by the Aegean Sea in Greece, celebrating the beginning of their marriage.
Mr Young, a lorry driver in Melbourne, Derbyshire, said they have spent £2000 on their honeymoon. However, their long-awaited holiday was cut short just after they went through the check-in at the airport.
"A woman and a guy came to us and told me that I cannot fly. They told us to leave the airport", Mr Young added.
Since the UK left the EU, Brits now need their passports to have been issued within the last ten years. It also must be valid for at least three months on the date that they exit the EU, while some reports advise for six months to be on the safe side.
Mr Young’s passport expires in December 22, but the issue date was April 2012 meaning it passes its ten-year deadline. The heartbroken husband said he never heard about the newly-introduced rule before facing it himself.
"Even if I knew about it I could not fly and that is where the problem is. It can take up to ten weeks to get a new passport, and this rule was introduced recently, almost overnight", he added.
"There was no grace, I was just told a flat no and then we were told to leave the airport", he recollects. "I am so very disappointed - my wife has not been away in six years."
The couple fell in love at first sight after they have met on a dating app Bumble back in September last year. Mr Young said they "just clicked" from the beginning.
He fell in love with 54-year-old Emily Young, who works in sales. They moved in together over Christmas.
They had their wedding in April this year. Mr Young: "It just felt natural. It felt right. We became very comfortable with each other very quickly."
Now that they were left with no honeymoon in sight and no exotic holiday to look forward to, the couple are hoping to get a compensation at least. "There is the financial aspect, but also the fact that I will not be able to book time off work anymore this summer", he said.
"I booked off ten days for this only to be told that I cannot go. It is ridiculous and disappointing. It completely ruined our honeymoon."
He said that they have got insurance but it does not cover a passport rule change. "It just seems like it came out of the blue and there is nothing we can do about it."
A TUI spokesperson said: "We’re sorry to hear of Mr Young’s experience and understand his disappointment that he was unable to go on his honeymoon as planned. As we advised him about the changes to passport validity rules and reminded him to check his passport at the time of booking, and again on his booking confirmation, our normal terms and conditions apply. We have advised Mr Young to reach out to his travel insurance provider and have offered a gesture of goodwill if they are unable to support."
