11 hours ago
Aussie fashion boss' travel plans are thrown into turmoil at the airport after shock discovery on passport
The boss of an Aussie fashion brand has revealed how she was almost stopped from flying to Paris because her passport had water damage.
Showpo CEO Jane Lu shared her horrifying experience on TikTok on Monday, revealing Australian customs officials initially told her she wouldn't be able to board her flight.
'I'm at the airport and they're telling me that I can't get onto my flight to Paris because my passport has water damage,' she said.
Officials warned her French officials may reject her passport on arrival and send her straight back to Australia.
Ms Lu said she was eventually allowed to board the plane, but she had to sign a waiver to 'say that if Paris turns me away, I'll just have to come back'.
'So I signed it, but now I've got this 24-28 hour flight journey, and I still might get turned back,' she said.
'So hopefully the French are chill. It's a really long flight to get turned away but I got to try it, right?'
Ms Lu explained that she was heading to Paris for Showpo's homecoming campaign and that she had all the gear for the shoot on her, so if she didn't make it through customs, the campaign wouldn't happen.
She also said she was surprised Aussie officials initially denied her access, given she had previously flown twice to the US with the same water-damaged passport.
Ms Lu appeared visibly nervous as she waited to disembark after her plane landed in Paris.
'This is the moment of truth: let's see if I get in or not,' she said.
'Maybe they'll be super chill, or maybe I'm going straight back to Sydney.'
Ms Lu managed to make her way through customs without a problem.
Social media users sympathised with Ms Lu and blamed the poor quality of the Australian passport, which costs $412.
'It's so annoying because Australian passports are such poor quality and so expensive to replace as well,' one person said.
'They compared it to German and Japanese passports that were five years old and they stayed flat while our new expensive ones curled in two weeks,' another said.
Others said it was an important lesson to always double-check the quality of the passport before heading overseas.
'This is why you must make sure your passport doesn't have any damage like this,' one wrote.
'Some countries are ruthless and will not accept passports with water damage.'
'The airline gets fined if the country you're flying to won't accept your passport and you're not allowed in,' a second added.
'It's your responsibility to check it's in good condition prior to travel.'
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) trumpeted the new passport upon its launch in 2023, previously boasting it was manufactured in Australia.
'The next-generation passport is packed with advanced security features designed to keep Australians' identities safe,' the department said.
But since its release, questions have been raised about the expensive document's quality.
Sydney woman Natalie Vellozzi, 28, compared her old and new passports and accused the government of skimping on quality.
'The quality definitely does not match the price of this passport,' she said.
After the Sydney woman put both passports next to each other, the difference could be seen straight away, with the new one's cover curving upwards.
'This is my old passport I have had for 10 years. It is definitely better quality,' Ms Vellozzi said.
