A Glasgow family is seeking almost £11,000 in compensation after a denial of boarding due to a problem with a scribble on a passport, meaning they missed their flight to India.
Gunasekaran Kumar, 37, was travelling with wife Anita Gunasekaran and two daughters to Chennai to see Anita’s sick father ahead of surgery.
However, the family claim that they have been left in credit card debt after buying another set of tickets on top of their initial £2,080 spend after being marked as ‘no shows’ despite being one of the first parties to arrive.
The family were flying with Qatar Airways from Edinburgh to Chennai, India. However, once they arrived at the check-in desk, an issue with Ms Gunasekaran’s Indian passport meant she was told she would not be able to travel.
Check-in staff reportedly took the passport to speak with immigration officers in Chennai, and when they returned, confirmed that she could not board the flight.
“After checking all of the passports, they claimed that my wife’s passport was damaged because it had been scribbled on by my daughter,” Mr Kumar told GlasgowLive.
“We had everything, our photo ID, proof, everything. It was just a couple of scribbles.”
The UK Home Office says a passport is considered damaged and should be replaced if you cannot read details, pages are ripped or missing, there are holes in it, the cover is coming away or if there are stains on it, such as ink or water damage.
The Indian government advises that people can re-apply for a new passport if their booklet is damaged, even if the passport number is legible, the name is legible and the photo is intact.
The Indian Embassy in London and Edinburgh both offer outsourced services to replace lost, stolen or damaged passports, no matter the expiry date.
Mr Kumar claimed to the publication that he spoke with immigration officials in India himself and was eventually told his wife would be cleared to travel as long as she applied for a new passport on her return to the UK.
He claimed that Qatar Airways staff continued to refuse check-in to the flight, even after Mr Kumar suggested just himself and his two young daughters could be checked in instead.
The family claim they were later told that Mrs Gunasekaran’s passport had been cleared, although it is unclear by who, and the family could book tickets on the next…
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