Newlywed man seething with anger after honeymoon is ‘ruined’ over ‘ridiculous’ passport rules

Christian Young, 49, from Melbourne, Derbyshire, was stopped checking in at East Midlands Airport and told his passport flouted a new Brexit rule, meaning he missed his honeymoon

A newlywed man has been left furious after he was prevented from boarding a flight for his honeymoon due to a “ridiculous” Brexit passport rule.

Christian Young and his wife Emily were due to fly from East Midlands Airport to Santorini on the Aegean Sea in Greece last Thursday before tragedy struck at the check-in desk.

The 49-year-old truck driver and his partner, 54, had to shell out £2,000 for the trip but were told he couldn’t fly because his passport had been issued more than 10 years ago, they said NottinghamshireLive.

The expiration date isn’t until December 22, but it was issued in April 2012, meaning it’s past the deadline.

The new rule also means passports must be valid for at least three months by the time Britain leaves the EU, although some reports recommend six months.

Did you have a similar situation as Christian? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk

Christian, from Melbourne, Derbyshire, said: “A woman and a man came up to us and told me I couldn’t fly. They told us to leave the airport.”

He said he was completely unaware of the rule when booking the holiday.

“Even if I knew about it, I couldn’t fly and that’s the problem,” added Christian.

“It can take up to 10 weeks to get a new passport and this rule was introduced almost overnight recently,” he added.

“There was no mercy, I was just told a flat no and then we were told to exit the airport.

“I’m so very disappointed – my wife hasn’t been away in six years.”

The couple fell in love at first sight after meeting on dating app Bumble in September last year.

Mr Young said it “just clicked” from the start.

He fell in love with Emily, who works in sales, and they moved in together over Christmas.

The happy couple had their wedding in April this year.

Christian said: “It just felt natural. It felt right. We felt very comfortable with each other very quickly.”

Now that there’s no honeymoon in sight and no exotic vacation in sight, the couple is hoping for some compensation.

“There’s the financial aspect, but also the fact that I can’t book any more time off this summer,” he said.

“I booked 10 days for this only to be told I can’t go. It’s ridiculous and disappointing. It completely ruined our honeymoon.”

He said they have insurance but it doesn’t cover any change in passport rules.

“It just seems like it came out of the blue and there’s nothing we can do about it,” added Christian.

A TUI spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear about Mr Young’s experience and understand his disappointment that he was not able to start his honeymoon as planned.

“As we have informed him of the change in passport validity rules and reminded him to check his passport at the time of booking and again on his booking confirmation, our normal terms and conditions apply.

“We have advised Mr Young to contact his travel insurance provider and have offered a goodwill gesture if they are unable to assist.”