From Travel Agent Diaries: Denied Boarding

A few weeks ago, I had a good-size group travel to Punta Cana for a wedding. It was a great group of people to work with. Everyone was nice, and we had no hiccups along the planning process! What more can a Travel Advisor ask for, right?

Well, the morning of the departure, I got a frantic phone call from one of the guests. Turns out, the groom’s father was not able to board his flight. I got this call less than an hour before the flight was scheduled to depart. I was notified that the reason for denied boarding was an EXPIRED passport! Oh no!

I quickly got on the phone to cancel the flight for my client, while he was on the way to the Embassy for an emergency passport! I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get a new passport in one day, considering he wasn’t a US citizen, but it was worth a try.

Few hours later he called, saying he has a new passport in hand! Oh, what a relief! I’d hate for him to miss his son’s wedding! I quickly got to rebooking his airline ticket for the next day (there was no more flights that day that would get him there this late in the day). I also got on the phone to notify the resort that he is arriving the next day, and to rearrange his shuttle.

This whole situation was stressful, but I am glad we were able to get it resolved quickly. Yes, the new ticket costed my client some extra money, but it was better than not attending the wedding at all, and loosing more money on the hotel (it was within penalty already).

The moral of this story is to always check your passports before you book your trip. I always remind my clients to make sure their passports are good for the duration of their trip, and preferably 3-6 months past travel (depending on the destination), but apparently, not everyone listens.

This story also shows you the benefit of booking with a travel advisor. If he booked on his own via an online booking engine, he would have spent hours trying to reschedule his flight, and trying to reach the hotel and shuttle to notify them of the change. Instead, I handled all this for him, and he was able to focus on getting his passport renewed.

If you’re still unsure about working with a travel advisor, give one a try! But make sure you find a good one! And trust me, you won’t be disappointed!