UK mum’s Thailand trip ruined over son’s passport sticker mark
Family rebooked on new flight after being turned away at airport
A British mum claims her family was barred from flying to Thailand after airline staff said a faint sticker mark had damaged her son’s passport.
Meghan Law, a 33 year old NHS nurse from Aberdeen, was due to fly from Edinburgh to Phuket with her two children on October 8 for a two-week, £3,000 (approximately 133,000 Thai baht) family getaway booked through TUI. But their trip took a stressful turn at the Qatar Airways check-in desk.
According to the British woman, staff told her there was an issue with 13 year old Alix Dawson’s passport — specifically, a “damaged” page caused by a leftover sticker mark.
“We were standing there for 20 minutes before I asked what was going on. Then they told me there was damage to my son’s passport and we couldn’t travel. I was shocked.”
Law said the mark wasn’t on the photo page, there were no rips or tears, and they had used the same passport for over a dozen trips without issue.
Initially told to go to Glasgow Airport to get an emergency passport, Law contacted tour operator TUI, fearing the family would lose their entire holiday. After reviewing photos of the passport, TUI confirmed there was nothing wrong and rebooked the family onto the next available Emirates flight from Glasgow to Thailand.
“If I hadn’t booked through TUI, we wouldn’t have been able to go. A one-way flight on the same day would’ve cost £2,800. There’s no way I could afford that.”
The family ultimately enjoyed their holiday without further passport issues, using the same document multiple times throughout the trip without any problems being flagged by other airlines.
Law now suspects Qatar Airways may have overbooked the flight and was “looking for any excuse” to deny passengers boarding, according to Tivy-Side Advertiser.
“It ruined the start of our trip. I’ve never had an experience like that at any other airport. There was no kindness or compassion shown. I think compensation is justified.”
The British mum said she will never fly with Qatar Airways again and urged other travellers to double-check their documents, no matter how minor the marks.
Qatar Airways has been contacted for comment.
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