Man unable to go on honeymoon due to tiny passport tear despite using it to fly weeks before
A pair of newlyweds were unable to jet off on their honeymoon after the groom turned up at the airport with a torn passport held together by tape.
Joe, 35, and Beccy Barnes, 38, tied the knot on 2 August and booked a last-minute holiday to Cyprus with the money they had received in wedding gifts.
They were looking forward to an all-inclusive five-day trip when TUI staff turned them away at the airport.
The airline said the passport was 'very badly damaged' with a one centimetre rip on the upper right-hand corner as well as suspected water damage. The cover was also ripped and had been repaired with tape.
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But despite the damage, Joe claimed that he had been able to fly with Jet2 just three weeks before for his stag do, with no issues.
"The wedding was the best day of my life," the man, who lives near Nottingham, said.
"We just wanted to get away and chill out for a bit so used the cash from all the guests to book the honeymoon.
"We got to the front check-in desk and the woman said you've got a slight rip in your passport page. I need to go talk to my manager.
"She said 'yeah there's a rip in it'. I'd actually flown with Jet2 three weeks before for my stag do and that was absolutely fine.
"I didn't know about the rip until then."
Joe, who works as a forklift driver, continued: "There was no compassion at all. I told them it was my honeymoon. But TUI headquarters got back to say 'do not let this man travel'.
"I thought this can't be happening. It was horrible. We sat around the airport for a good two hours trying to think of solutions.
"We thought we could catch a flight with a different airline, but Jet2 said they wouldn't let us fly either."
Joe and Beccy stayed in the airport for two hours to try and come up with a solution, but decided to head home, missing out on their £1,200 trip.
"I just couldn't believe it. Me and my Mrs were mortified. I felt like crying my eyes out. We'd had an amazing weekend with the wedding and everything just went downhill," Joe said.
"My wife was absolutely devastated. It was a horrible feeling. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through this.
"I think it's pathetic I got denied boarding for that tiny rip. I could understand it if it was a massive rip over my photo or my personal details and you couldn't read them.
"It's looking doubtful that insurance will cover it. It's quite unlikely. We're just going to try and book something later on.
"The worst bit is that it's other people's money. I would warn people to get their passport checked, even if there's a slight mark on it."
A spokeswoman for TUI confirmed that Joe was refused travel and recommended the couple speak with their insurance provider.
Meanwhile, a fundraising page to help them pay for another honeymoon has been set up, which you can visit here.
LADbible has reached out to TUI as well as Jet2 for comment.
Lucy Devine