A dad was left devastated when he was told he couldn’t join his family on a flight for their planned summer holiday, despite thinking his passport was valid.
Beth Trubutt-Rogers, also known as the Budgeting Mum on Instagram, was thrilled about taking her two children and husband for a break in Spain.
However, upon arriving at the airport, they were dealt a blow when the dad was turned away at check-in.
“My husband wasn’t allowed to come on holiday with us,” the heartbroken wife revealed. She has since issued a warning for all families planning to travel abroad this summer.
Despite the man’s passport displaying an expiry date of March 2025, and there being eight months remaining on it at the time, Ryanair staff had told him his passport was “expired”.
Shedding light on the incident, Beth took to Instagram via her @budgetingmumofficial profile, followed by 420,000 users, and explained: “We went to drop off our bags, his passport was checked and they told us that his passport was expired, even though his expiry date was March 2025.
“[We] had already checked in online and entered all of our passport details but nothing had flagged up until we got to the airport.”
She further explained: “The rules changed when we left the EU so the extension on our passports is now no longer valid, so you have 10 years from the issue date, rather than what the expiry date says.”
Describing it as the “most stressful trip”, the mum was left to travel on their original flight with her three-year-old and four-year-old children. She likened the experience of not having her partner’s assistance to “like not having my right arm”.
Fortunately, her husband managed to secure a Jet 2 flight the following day to join his family. She said: “Jet 2 allow passenger to travel still so he was allowed to get a Jet 2 flight the following morning to join us.”
Thankfully, the family were reunited the next day and could finally start enjoying their Spanish holiday.