Family loses $7K Europe trip due to passport issues
CTV
A Canadian family was 'devastated' to miss a trip to Europe and lose more than $7,000 last month because of a passport problem.
A Canadian family was 'devastated' to miss a trip to Europe and lose more than $7,000 last month because of a passport problem.
Gatineau, Que. resident Michael Laroche takes a vacation every year with his wife and daughter and this year to celebrate his 60th birthday and his daughter's high school graduation they booked a trip to Lisbon, Portugal.
They thought they had valid passports but when they went to get on the plane in early August they were told there was a problem.
Laroche's passport and his wife's had expiry dates of Oct. 10, 2023 but they were told to travel to Portugal their passports needed to be valid for a full three months.
"I always thought a passport expires on the date that the passport indicated it expires," said Laroche who added, “Air Transat indicated to us there was no way we could get on the flight and that unfortunately our passports weren't valid."
The three tickets cost the family $7,078 and they were not able to get a refund or credit.
Laroche booked the tickets through Air Transat’s website and said he was surprised the issue wasn't caught by the airline.
