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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Olimpia Zagnat & Ryan Merrifield

Newly married man fuming as honeymoon 'ruined' due to 'ridiculous' passport rule

A newly married man was left fuming after being blocked from boarding a flight for his honeymoon due to a "ridiculous" Brexit passport rule.

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

The 49-year-old lorry driver and his partner, 54, had shelled out £2,000 for the trip, but were told because his passport was issued more than 10 years ago he couldn't fly, reports NottinghamshireLive.

Its expiry date isn't until December 22, but it was issued in April 2012, meaning it's beyond the deadline.

The new rule also means passports must be valid for at least three months on the date that Brits exit the EU, though some reports advise six months.

Have you suffered a similar situation to Christian? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk

Christian and Emily Young married after meeting on Bumble (Christian Young)

Christian, from Melbourne, Derbyshire, said: "A woman and a guy came to us and told me that I cannot 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 could not fly and that is where the problem is," added Christian.

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

They couple were told to leave East Midlands Airport (Leicester Mercury / Chris Gordon)

"There was no grace, I was just told a flat no and then we were told to leave the airport.

"I am so very disappointed - my wife has not been away in six years."

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

Mr Young said they "just clicked" from the beginning.

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.

The Youngs had booked to go to Santorini (Getty Images)

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

Now that they were left with no honeymoon in sight and no exotic holiday to look forward to, the couple are hoping to get a compensation.

"There is the financial aspect, but also the fact that I will not be able to book time off work anymore this summer," he said.

"I booked off 10 days for this only to be told that I cannot go. It is ridiculous and disappointing. It completely ruined our honeymoon."

He said that they have got insurance but it does not cover a passport rule change.

"It just seems like it came out of the blue and there is nothing we can do about it," Christian added.

A TUI spokesperson said: "We’re sorry to hear of Mr Young’s experience and understand his disappointment that he was unable to go on his honeymoon as planned.

"As we advised him about the changes to 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 reach out to his travel insurance provider and have offered a gesture of goodwill if they are unable to support."

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