The passport rule that prevented Vicky Pattison from boarding her flight – and how to avoid the same mistake
The former I’m a Celebrity star was prevented from boarding an easyJet flight to Italy
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Your support makes all the difference.Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison has described how she was denied boarding a flight from Newcastle after gate staff noticed damage to her passport.
Pattison, 36, was boarding an easyJet flight to Italy to visit her wedding venue with fiancé Ercan Ramadan, ahead of the pair getting married in September.
However, she was left disappointed after airline staff noticed the damage to her passport, which was apparently caused by her dog chewing it.
Pattison took to Instagram after the incident, writing that she “thought we were off to see our wedding venue today, we were so excited”.
“Only to have the @easyiet staff turn me away.. I’ve been travelling with my passport all year and no one’s said anything, but it’s definitely well travelled to be fair. Company policy is company policy and I get it, I’m just beyond gutted you know?”
Pattison later shared a photo of the damage to her passport, which consisted of some small holes and tears on the photo and information page.
She wrote: “This is what was wrong with my passport for everyone asking, in fairness, I don’t know if that is really bad or not, I’ve just not had anyone ever tell me it was before.”
In a statement to the Evening Standard, an easyJet spokesperson said: “At easyJet, we work closely with the authorities and comply with their guidance to ensure the safety and security of all passengers and staff.
“As such, we cannot allow any passenger to travel on their planned flight with documentation damaged to such a degree that its authenticity is brought into question.
“It is the passenger’s responsibility to have suitable documentation for travel.”
According to HM Passport Office, your passport is considered damaged if:
- You cannot read any of your details
- Any of the pages are cut, ripped or missing
- There are holes, cuts or rips in the cover
- The cover is coming away
- There are stains on the pages (for example, ink or water damage).
Replacement passport applications can be filled out online at a cost of £88.50, or you can pay £166.50 for the one-week service. Additionally, there is also a one-day premium service that costs £207.50; fast-track services require an in-person attendance at an HM Passport Office, for example in London, Peterborough or Liverpool.
In December, a family said their £1,000 holiday was ruined after Ryanair staff stopped a teenager from boarding due to a 1cm tear in his passport.
Passengers throughout the UK have also experienced problems boarding flights due to Brexit-related changes in passport validity. The EU refuses to recognise passports over 10 years old, which has resulted in Britons being turned away at airports, ferries and trains bound for Europe.
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