My 11 year old son was in tears after Ryanair said WRONG his passport was invalid

An 11-year-old boy broke down in tears after Ryanair refused to let him board a flight to Tenerife.

The low-cost airline claimed the youth’s passport had expired, although it was still valid for four months.

2

According to new rules since Brexit, a passport must be valid for at least three months and be less than 10 years old.

Ryley McGuckin’s passport was issued in March 2017 and has an expiry date of September 2022.

This would mean Ryley can use his passport to travel to EU countries until June 31, 2022.

Despite this, the family was told by Ryanair staff at Glasgow Prestwick Airport that Ryley was not allowed to board the flight to Tenerife.

The 11-year-old cried and apologized to his seven-year-old brother Barry.

Mum Natasha told The Record how they arrived at the airport two hours before their 6am flight but were told by staff that a call had to be made to the Ryanair Immigration Team after Ryley’s passport had been inspected.

Natasha said: “After they hung up, they said we couldn’t fly because his passport was invalid and against the law.

“We were absolutely devastated. Both my sons were crying… Ryley was devastated because he thought it was all his fault that we couldn’t go on holiday and he apologized to his little brother.”

The family was finally able to enjoy their first family holiday since the Covid-19 pandemic.

They paid £600 for new flights from Edinburgh Airport to Tenerife on Jet2 airline, which accepted Ryley’s pass.

A Ryanair spokesman has confirmed the family have been offered a full refund for the flights.

They said: “Faced with this clear error on our part, we have written to the family and given them a full refund of their £313.79 unused flights and as a goodwill gesture we have also given them a travel voucher to use on another £315 which we hope will book more Ryanair flights for the family in the near future.

“We sincerely apologize for the error we made in this case and we have updated our briefing notes to all our airport handling agents to ensure this error does not occur again.”

Martin Lewis has warned holidaymakers looking to travel abroad this summer.

The founder of MoneySavingExpert has warned that tourists could be caught if they don’t pay attention to the expiry dates of passports and GHIC/EHIC health cards.

If your passport is in order, it is also important to check your GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) or EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), which gives you access to medical care across the EU at the same prices as locals.

The GHIC has replaced the old European health insurance cards, although your EHIC will remain valid if it is within its expiry date.

2