A British groom was barred from boarding a flight to Thailand for his honeymoon after airline staff flagged damage on his passport during check-in.
The Brit, 31 year old Josh Reekie, was all set to jet off with his wife Eden for their dream £2,400 (around 105,600 baht) honeymoon when Etihad Airways staff at Manchester Airport denied him boarding. The airline claimed his passport was too damaged, citing water damage on a 2019 Thailand stamp.
“I was absolutely gutted,” said Reekie, an industrial electrician from Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
“They said there was a smudge on a stamp from Thailand in 2019. Who’s to say that didn’t happen when it was stamped and closed?”
Despite having used the same passport 12 times in the past year without issue, Reekie was told after a 30-minute wait at the check-in desk that he would not be allowed to board.
“The picture page was perfectly fine. It felt surreal walking into an airport and then being told to leave without flying. We were so stressed after spending all that money.”
With Eden’s passport deemed valid, the couple had planned a two-week TUI package to Phuket. But after being denied the outbound flight, TUI cancelled their accommodation and return flight too.
Left scrambling, the couple had to fork out again for a last-minute trip to Cyprus instead. They are now demanding refunds from both Etihad Airways and TUI.
“I was disappointed by how little empathy Etihad showed. People save all year for a trip like this, and for someone to just say ‘you’re not going’ without a second opinion—it’s soul-destroying.”
Reekie managed to get a new passport within two days but says the damage was done, reported The Mirror UK.
“We just want our money back. Neither TUI nor Etihad has helped us.”
Etihad has since confirmed the refusal.
“A passenger flying from Manchester to Phuket on October 7 was denied boarding due to visible water damage in their passport.”
The airline said it had consulted Thai immigration authorities, who advised that the passport did not meet entry requirements.
“British passports must be machine-readable and fully intact. This includes no water damage, torn pages, delamination, or illegible details.”
Reekie continues to pursue compensation and has warned other travellers to double-check their passports before flying.
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