UK Couple Barred From Flight Because Of "Tea Stain" On Passport

A UK couple has accused Ryanair staff of kicking them out of the airport after barring them from flying due to a small tea stain on one of their passports. According to the New York Post, Rory Allen and Nina Wilkins were heading off for a week in Costa Brava, Spain, when they say they were turned away at the boarding gate due to the "decolourisation" of the passport. "It's just a stain on her passport," Mr Allen said of the "embarrassing" incident, which occurred on July 7. 

The couple revealed that after arriving at the East Midland Airport, the pair showed their passports at the Ryanair check-in desk and claimed there were no issues raised so went straight through to security. It was only when they headed to the boarding gate that the problem arose, they said, per the Post. Mr Allen claimed a Ryanair manager examined Ms Wilkins' travel document and declared that they wouldn't let them on the plane because of a tea stain. 

Mr Allen said he was shocked when his girlfriend couldn't get on board the plane as she had used the same passport already this year to go abroad. He also claimed that she was later able to use it to board a Jet2 flight.

Ryanair, on the other hand, said the passenger was "correctly refused travel" as their passport had "decolourisation" and that the rules are set by the UK Passport Office and not them. "This passenger was correctly refused travel from East Midlands to Girona (7 Jul) as their passport was damaged and therefore not valid for travel," a Ryanair spokesperson said in a statement. "Ryanair requires each passenger to ensure that their passport is valid for travel in line with the relevant requirements at the time of travel," the spokesperson added. 

A Ryanair manager later apologised and explained that the desk clerk should have never waved them through. 

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However, Mr Allen found the predicament ridiculous as Ms Wilkins had used the tea-stained passport at other airports. He also claimed that the document's essential information was visible despite the splotch. Nonetheless, the couple was forced to vacate the airport.

"After we got our bags, we got escorted out of the airport like we were criminals and it was embarrassing," said Mr Allen. 

Eventually, the couple rebooked their flight through Jet2 as the airline accepted passports with some damage. Mr Allen found this discrepancy ludicrous. "I don't understand how one airline can do this and another doesn't," he said.