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Rachael Norton-Voysey had worked hard for her five-day break to Lanzarote. She'd sorted the flights, booked the Airbnb and got herself to Birmingham Airport on Wednesday June 4, ready to go. Then a Ryanair staff member spotted a small rip in her passport at the boarding gate, and that was that. Holiday over before it had begun.

 

The rip measured just 1.5cm, running along the right side of the photo page without passing through any personal details or obscuring her photograph. Rachael, 33, from Erdington, Birmingham, was left in no doubt about how she felt. "It was gutting for us both," she said.

 

"We got to the gate and handed in my passport and he said it was ripped and they wouldn't let us through. It was horrible. That feeling where your stomach just drops knowing we wouldn't be going on holiday at that point. There's no arguing with them once they do that."

 

Her friend, who could technically have boarded alone, chose not to travel without her. The two of them had to wait while everyone else finished boarding, then were escorted back through the airport. "We had to watch everyone get onto the flight," Rachael said. "The journey home was so sad."

 

Ryanair was unapologetic. A spokesperson said: "This passenger was correctly refused travel from Birmingham to Lanzarote as her passport was damaged and therefore not valid for travel." And the UK Government backs that position up. Its official guidance states clearly that a damaged passport must be replaced, and that any ripped or cut pages are considered damage. Rachael had used the same passport for years without issue, including on trips abroad, and has no idea when the damage occurred.

 

She's since filed a complaint, describing the refusal as "a little bit mean," and has called for airlines to be more consistent in how they assess damage. She also admits she should have checked. "I've had the passport for eight years and don't know when the rip happened," she said. "I should've thought about it but I never did."

 

Her advice now is simple: "Check your passport well before you're going to travel, put it in a case and get travel insurance, because we also didn't have travel insurance, which could've saved us a bit."

As for the holiday, she and her friend are hoping to make it to Lanzarote in September after managing to rearrange their Airbnb. With a brand new passport this time.

 

 

 

Image: JanClaus/Pixabay