We were wrongly turned away from the airport on our family holiday over confusing rule – it cost me thousands of pounds
A DAD has slammed easyJet after his young daughter was left in tears when she was wrongly banned from flying.
Paul Caddis, from Cornwall, was set to jet away to Italy with his wife and two kids when they were forced to pull the plug on their holiday last minute – leaving them thousands of pounds out of pocket.
The 59-year-old says staff at Bristol Airport reduced his ten-year-old daughter Georgia to tears after mistakingly telling her she was unable to fly.
But easyJet workers had remembered their own rules incorrectly and wrongly stopped the youngster from boarding on October 20.
The airline’s policy states passengers can’t fly to certain countries if their passport was issued more than ten years ago or expires within the next three months.
Georgia’s passport, however, met the requirements as it is a five-year one for kids and does not expire until February 8, 2023.
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Paul told CornwallLive: “The representative looked at my daughter’s passport and announced that her passport was out of date.”
The dad said Georgia burst into tears, thinking she had ruined the family’s holiday to celebrate her brother’s 18th birthday.
Paul added: “This act on the part of the easyJet staff was particularly heartless.
“We weren’t taken to one side; she didn’t have a quiet word about my daughter’s passport. Indeed, she showed no compassion throughout.”
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The devastated family had no option but to return home – however, they were left fuming when they realised easyJet staff had got it all wrong.
They are now battling for compensation as they have been left around £4,000 out of pocket over the mistake.
Paul said the family’s request for compensation was rejected within 24 hours.
A spokesman for easyJet said: “We are very sorry that the Caddis family were incorrectly denied travel and the compensation they were due, because of a misunderstanding of current passport validity rules by the boarding agent assisting them.
“We fully understand the disappointment this will have caused them and we have been in touch with the family to apologise for their experience and provide them with compensation they are due as well as a full refund for their flights and any expenses they incurred.
“While we regularly issue guidance to our ground handling partners on current travel documentation requirements we have reissued this to our partner at Bristol airport to ensure the rules are clear for all.”
It comes after a woman said she was left “upset and embarrassed” after she was banned from her flight over a simple passport mistake.
Johanne Morris and her godson Chayce Pearson were traveling to Portugal with easyJet for a holiday they had been planning for months.
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Despite having no problem while booking her flights or while going through security at Gatwick Airport, she said they were stopped at the boarding gates.
Staff then explained that her passport was actually out of date due to new rules in place since Brexit.