Etihad wouldn't let me travel this morning

GeorgeStobort

I was due to fly from dub to aus this morning but Ethiad wouldn't let me board the plane due to slight damage to my passport . The hard plastic with all my info has an invisible line that's clued to the passport . The problem I have is that there's about an inch from the left broken. It was like this 6 months ago and I flew no problem. Now that's one thing and I contacted the agency who should be able to reschedule my flight for a fee but they are saying Ethiad have me down as a no show which would mean my return flight is also forfeit and I'd have to book brand new flights from scratch

GeorgeStobort

GeorgeStobort wrote: »

I was due to fly from dub to aus this morning but Ethiad wouldn't let me board the plane due to slight damage to my passport . The hard plastic with all my info has an invisible line that's clued to the passport . The problem I have is that there's about an inch from the left broken. It was like this 6 months ago and I flew no problem. Now that's one thing and I contacted the agency who should be able to reschedule my flight for a fee but they are saying Ethiad have me down as a no show which would mean my return flight is also forfeit and I'd have to book brand new flights from scratch

Would appreciate advice. I should have a replacement passport this evening

Miaireland

Contact Ethiad and explain

ForestFire

This seems to be a common problem with the passports, the way the hard plastic page is attached to the rest.

It has also happened my passport and a friends passport, so thats 3 now:).

I got stopped in Germany once on arrival, and told them it happen since I left and they left me through.

It got gradually worse and from both sides, It is now taped with clear sellotape and not noticed on my last trip :P.

I have since got the credit card size passport, that will suffice me for EU travel, But if this is a weakness in the passport, that is intended to last 10 years, should they be replaced for free?

GeorgeStobort

ForestFire wrote: »

This seems to be a common problem with the passports, the way the hard plastic page is attached to the rest.

It has also happened my passport and a friends passport, so thats 3 now:).

I got stopped in Germany once on arrival, and told them it happen since I left and they left me through.

It got gradually worse and from both sides, It is now taped with clear sellotape and not noticed on my last trip :P.

I have since got the credit card size passport, that will suffice me for EU travel, But if this is a weakness in the passport, that is intended to last 10 years, should they be replaced for free?

Strikes me as money making scam . No way will they last 10 years. The agency have been on to etihad and the know show is being waived since I was there . They are charging me 300 euro plus any difference in tax and fare . I wonder what that could be ? They also said my return flight was cancelled too. Surely if we have established that I wasn't a no show that these flights shouldn't have been cancelled and if they were it's etihad fault. I'm. Just concerned there will be extra costs because of this

Miaireland

Is it the agency or the airline that you are paying the extra to? I would contact the airline yourself and check with them.

nosietoes

Australia are really fussy about passports. They wouldn't put my OH's visa into his passport when we were travelling because the gold harp had rubbed off the front of his.

I would ring Etihad and explain. Also, do you have any proof you were at the airport - atm withdrawl, taxi or bus receipt?

GeorgeStobort

nosietoes wrote: »

Australia are really fussy about passports. They wouldn't put my OH's visa into his passport when we were travelling because the gold harp had rubbed off the front of his.

I would ring Etihad and explain. Also, do you have any proof you were at the airport - atm withdrawl, taxi or bus receipt?

Well etihad have since acknowledged I was there . I have to pay both the agency and etihad a fee but if the return flight was cancelled because they reported me as a no show then surely I shouldn't be liable to pay the extra for re booking that flight

Savage_Henry

Travel insurance wouldnt cover this?

GeorgeStobort

Savage_Henry wrote: »

Travel insurance wouldnt cover this?

Travel insurance I don't have won't. No

cml387

This demonstrates the importance of treating your passport as a valuable document which is kept in a safe place when not travelling.
It is not a garda age card to be used on a night out to get drink (not suggesting that the op uses it that way).

schemingbohemia

GeorgeStobort wrote: »

Travel insurance I don't have won't. No

You're going to Australia without travel insurance? Sorry but you've spent probably a grand on a flight and presumably will have a few grand to spend over there and you decided not to spend less than a hundred on insurance, that is just really dumb.
What if something happens to you over there?

BlinkingLights

It's not a scam, rather it was rushed into use after 9/11 at the behest of the USA's demands for biometric and RFID chips built into the passports and likely isn't s great design from a robustness point of view.

All EU passports follow the exact same design and the US, Canadian and Aussi ones add probably more or less the same structure too.

The biggest issue is the requirement in continental Europe to carry ID all the time when Ireland (until we introduced the passport card) and the UK (still has none). This has tended to result in passport booklets being carried in pockets and taken to the pub, the beach etc etc.

Also Irish nightclubs and pubs going through eras of demanding passports to verify age didn't help either.

It results in a lot of lost and damaged passports.

See if the airline will give you a reorganised flight and get yourself to the passport office (located in Dublin or Cork) asap and being proof of travel arrangements. They'll get you a new passport..

If you've visas, contact the embassy asap too.

GeorgeStobort

schemingbohemia wrote: »

You're going to Australia without travel insurance? Sorry but you've spent probably a grand on a flight and presumably will have a few grand to spend over there and you decided not to spend less than a hundred on insurance, that is just really dumb.
What if something happens to you over there?

I have travel insurance if I need medical treatment but it doesn't cover this issue

munchkin_utd

GeorgeStobort wrote: »

Strikes me as money making scam . No way will they last 10 years. The agency have been on to etihad and the know show is being waived since I was there . <snip>

my passport is one of the first wave of the one with a hard plastic sheet and its in mint condition and is now about to enter its last month of validity, so is 9 years 11 months on the go, and living abroad that really does mean consistent usage not only going home or random flights to all corners of the continent, but as use as ID (drivers licence is not accepted in Germany anywhere) and for spins to Austria which is only an hour down the road.

After battering my previous passports from being carted about in my pocket , i got a nice leather green passport cover for less than a tenner and this one is in great condition. If you are happy with another colour, mr price is doing leather covers for €1.49 http://www.mrprice.ie/p/irish-passport-cover

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J.pilkington

munchkin_utd wrote: »

my passport is one of the first wave of the one with a hard plastic sheet and its in mint condition and is now about to enter its last month of validity, so is 9 years 11 months on the go, and living abroad that really does mean consistent usage not only going home or random flights to all corners of the continent, but as use as ID (drivers licence is not accepted in Germany anywhere) and for spins to Austria which is only an hour down the road.

After battering my previous passports from being carted about in my pocket , i got a nice leather green passport cover for less than a tenner and this one is in great condition. If you are happy with another colour, mr price is doing leather covers for €1.49 http://www.mrprice.ie/p/irish-passport-cover

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/5029476006816

You should look into a passport card

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

ifeelstupid

I just renewed my passport, got it last week and also received a clear plastic cover along with it.

killbillvol2

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

ifeelstupid wrote: »

I just renewed my passport, got it last week and also received a clear plastic cover along with it.

My last passport was almost blank on the front as the harp and writing had worn away. The only place it was commented on was Germany. There were no issues in such bastions of bureaucracy as China, Vietnam or even North Korea.

I changed it recently and including the plastic cover is definitely a great idea.

Marcusm

GeorgeStobort wrote: »

Strikes me as money making scam . No way will they last 10 years. The agency have been on to etihad and the know show is being waived since I was there . They are charging me 300 euro plus any difference in tax and fare . I wonder what that could be ? They also said my return flight was cancelled too. Surely if we have established that I wasn't a no show that these flights shouldn't have been cancelled and if they were it's etihad fault. I'm. Just concerned there will be extra costs because of this

Did you have a fully flexible ticket? Or is it only flexible for payment of €300 fee plus fare difference? Be thankful that it has some flexible element. Fro Eitihad's perspective you showed up without a valid passport. It i universal that the cancellation or no show for any flight segment results in the cancellation of all subsequent segments.