Warning as Aberdeen man turned away from £1k holiday after being caught out by passport rule
An Aberdeen man has been left 'gutted' after being turned away at the gate of a holiday due to passport rules.
James Clark, from Airyhall, was looking forward to embarking on a £1k trip to Tenerife yesterday to celebrate a friend's birthday – but it instead turned into 'the worst day of his life'.
That's after RyanAir staff refused to let the 28-year-old on to the plane yesterday, due to his passport being deemed invalid.
It left the student separated from his friends who boarded the flights to celebrate the birthday party abroad.
Despite his documents being technically in date, he was denied due to a post-Brexit 'passport 10-year rule'.
After the UK's exit from the European Union, EU countries no longer accept passports issued more than 10 years ago and with James' passport being issued in March 2015, he was out of luck.
His passport was allowed through RyanAir's online booking system.
James had spent £700 on flights and accommodation, and a further £200 on travel to and from Edinburgh.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, James said he was devastated by yesterday's events.
He said: 'It genuinely feels like one of the worst days of my life.
He continued: 'I checked in with my passport number and put that in and it said everything was okay.
'But they wouldn't let me fly.
'I was just left there, and just had to walk out of Edinburgh Airport and had to trudge back up to Aberdeen out of my own pocket.
'I was just shocked, angry and confused. I'm gutted.'
Travel expert and writer Simon Calder has previously spoken on this particular issue.
His office told The P&J that this rule has caught out 'countless people' since its inception post-Brexit.
A spokesperson said: 'This rule is catching so many people out. This happens all the time at different airports around the UK.
'It has ruined so many holidays, we can't even begin to count.
'We have always said that officials' voices are not saying enough on this particular issue because people are still experiencing these issues. It needs to be clearer.
'We receive calls about this situation at least twice a week.
'It's so frustrating for travellers.'
James is currently in the process of trying to claim compensation from RyanAir.
Previous communications from RyanAir on this issue read: 'Passports must meet the requirements for travel from the UK to the EU, which are set out by the European Commission Migration and Home Affairs Office – not Ryanair.
'Passports must be issued within 10 years of the date of departure into the EU. It is each passenger's responsibility to ensure that their passport is valid for travel in line with the relevant State requirements at the time of travel.
'These requirements are clearly set out on Ryanair.com, and passengers are reminded with pop-up messages during booking.'
RyanAir was approached for comment.
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