Laila March, a 25-year-old private tutor, was recently denied boarding a TUI flight to Cancun due to a minor issue with her passport.
On Jun 7th, Laila and her sister Kaemarnine, 21, arrived at Gatwick Airport ready to embark on a seven-day trip to Mexico. However, their travel plans quickly took an unexpected turn.
When Laila went to check in for her TUI flight, the airline staff scanned her passport and noticed a small stain in the top right corner of the photo page.
The check-in assistant immediately flagged this as a problem, questioning Laila about the "mark" on her passport.
After consulting with a supervisor, Laila was informed that she would not be allowed to board the plane.
According to the airline, the minor mark on Laila's passport could potentially cause issues with Mexican immigration control.
The airline said Laila couldn't board due to potential problems with Mexican immigration.
Laila insisted on traveling with her sister and persuaded British Airways, which had a later flight to Cancun that day.
To her surprise, BA staff had no problem with her passport and gave her a boarding pass. The only catch was she had to pay an extra $1,500 for the flight.
"They said Mexico has really strict passport control so I might not be let into the country," Laila explained.
"They couldn't allow me to fly with TUI because if I get to Mexico and they send me back, it's going to be a charge for them," Laila narrated.
Laila expressed her frustration with the inconsistent treatment of her passport by different airlines and immigration authorities.
She recounted how one airline, TUI, refused to allow her to board her flight to Mexico, claiming that her passport was damaged and she might not be allowed entry by Mexican passport control.
However, Laila stated that another airline had no issue with the same passport and allowed her to fly to Mexico, where she was then able to successfully clear passport control without incident.
The unexpected cost of the British Airway ticket took a significant financial toll on Laila, who had been saving that money towards getting set up for university.
"I'm studying to become a teacher, I start in September, and that money was money that I had saved up," she lamented.
Determined to get her money back, Laila complained to TUI. At first, they said her case was closed, but later agreed to refund her for the extra flight expenses.
The spokesperson went on to explain that TUI strongly advises customers to ensure their passports are in perfect condition, as any concerns about potential entry issues can result in denied boarding at the airline's discretion.
Recently, a passenger named Juan Manuel, a lawyer from Colombia, was angry after being kicked off a flight.
The airline had sold his reserved seat to a mother traveling with two children, despite Juan booking it three months ahead.
He arrived at the airport early but was delayed at the boarding counter. Once onboard, he found another passenger in his seat.
When Juan Manuel finally reached the boarding area, the flight attendant informed him that the airline had overbooked the flight, meaning there was no longer an available seat for him despite his having a valid, pre-purchased ticket.
The attendant apologized for the inconvenience this would cause.
Avianca rebooked him on a different itinerary that routed him through Miami before finally reaching Los Angeles.
This indirect flight path resulted in him not arriving in LA until around 10 PM, several hours later than his original booking would have had him arriving.
The airline's effort to make up for the trouble, offering an $8 meal voucher and an $80 flight voucher, didn't really ease Juan Manuel's frustration.
He missed a crucial meeting with lawyers handling cases of three jailed Colombians, the main reason for his trip.
