A DAD has claimed he was barred from a £4,000 TUI holiday over a tiny flaw in his passport.
Jimmy Gould had been “excited” to fly with his partner and family to the holiday hotspot of Lanzarote, Spain.
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But one tiny fault with his passport at East Midlands Airport meant he was unable to join them for their break in the sun.
The 48-year-old said that there was a “tiny tear” on the booklet when an old boarding sticker was ripped off.
This meant the document was too damaged for him to be allowed to board the plane.
His 35-year-old partner and three “crying” kids had to jet off on holiday without him.
A photo shows a small white tear over part of Jimmy’s face on the passport duplicate photo.
This had been where the boarding sticker was removed.
Jimmy claims it was one of the boarding staff who pulled off the sticker, not him.
A TUI spokesperson said passports with stickers on would not be allowed.
However, they added that agents at East Midlands are trained not to take off any stickers by themselves.
Jimmy, from Wolverhampton, said: “It’s a total nightmare and I’m absolutely fuming.
“I’m sitting home alone while they’re in Lanzarote gutted and they all want to come home because of the situation.
“One year [passport officials] put a sticker on the duplicate photo page. I’ve been away for six or seven years with no problem at all.
“I got to the airport and passed all the passports over and [a staff member] pulled the sticker straight off and she ripped the page. It’s a tiny little tear.
“She literally ripped my passport in front of us all and said ‘you can’t go’.
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“I can’t believe she just sat there and ripped my passport instead of giving me the option to tear it off properly so she wouldn’t have marked it.
“She looked at me and said ‘this one’s damaged and you can’t use this passport now’.
“It’s a tiny mark and the other page is fine. My kids started crying once they realised their dad couldn’t go.
“They want their dad there. It’s just terrible and I’m absolutely devastated.
“I was so excited to make memories with my family this summer. My daughter is seven and I should be playing in the pool with her but instead I’m stuck at home on my own.
“They’re miserable wanting their dad there. We have one holiday a year and you get excited.”
He attempted to apply for an emergency passport, but he ended up stuck at home and forced to skip the trip.
His girlfriend Zowie said: “The holiday has been ruined. The experience has been awful as we never go anywhere unless we’re together.
“I’m anxious and worried about being in a foreign country on my own with three children and it has totally changed the atmosphere
“All that money wasted and all the months saving to go away together to end up apart.”
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