“Denied” boarding due to passport “damage”
 

When I received my most recent passport 4-5 years ago, my puppy immediately found it on my bedside table and did some work chewing on the front cover. It has a few clear tooth marks and a thread hanging off the side, but is otherwise intact, and only the cover is involved (importantly, not the ID page).

Thankfully I didn’t have immediate travel scheduled and took the now “damaged” passport to my global entry appointment. I registered for global entry and they told me the passport was fine since there were no rips, tears, or holes. I’ve taken 5-6 European trips and 8-10 Canada/Mexico/Caribbean trips with the passport since without issue.

Fast forward to a recent trip to Paris on a cash D1 ticket. The baggage agent remarks on the damage and I mention that thankfully my puppy has grown up since the incident several years ago. She wanders off and returns with her manager who says I cannot travel because the passport is damaged. I point out that I’ve traveled over a dozen times with the passport (including to France) and that CBP told me it was fine. The manager responded that it was his call and he could do whatever he wanted and that I would not be going to Paris with that passport.

Thankfully I was at ATL Intl check in with 2 hours to my flight, so I left and went to domestic where the agent graciously checked my bags, verified my passport, and wished me a good trip. Had no problems in France or on return.

Has anyone else encountered this situation? How did you handle it? Ultimately it was a 30 minute annoyance, but if I’d been at any other airport I imagine it would have been much worse.

Obviously I’ll get a new passport now (although I’ve read the guidelines on passports and it’s clearly acceptable for travel) and thankfully have some time till my next international trip. But I’m likely going to write to delta about this one. Feels like there should be a few more checks and balances before a single agent can unilaterally cancel a multi-thousand dollar trip.

That’s infuriating. Keep your email short, concise, and to the point, and emphasize exactly what the guidelines say. Don’t include anything about how you were able to do it “in the past” as that is more hearsay than fact in their eyes.

I'm surprised the first agent or supervisor didn't insert comments on the PNR or cancel the reservation so that the OP would have been prevented from checking in elsewhere. I suspect that a supervisor would also be able to flag the PNR/ticket to prevent boarding.

OP it would be nice if you post a shot of the cover damage. I personally would have replaced the passport sooner with any noticeable visual damage, regardless of what CBP tells me.

They probably did not want to get in trouble and that is why they did not put anything in that would be able to be traced back to them.

For my frst INTL trip since COVID (JFK-AMS-ZRH) in August 2021 [and all previous trips, PRE-COVID], the instructions at the gate were to have the picture page of my PP open, so they can see that my PP was signed. [I was able to print both bps from home.] I guess new "rules" are now in effect.
I guess the DL agents were fearful OP would not be admitted to France and DL would be penalized.

I was once warned (or perhaps it was more of a gentle suggestion) that my passport with a single loose hanging thread might be considered damaged by some. The agent (I think BR) let me travel anyway.

From reading up, it looked to me more like a single thread is not really an issue. But we all know how quickly something of this type can get much worse quickly.

I still had two years so decided to amputate the thread and keep a close eye out for subsequent damage (not that I mind paying the fee, just the nuisance of getting it replaced).

The truth is the agent was within his rights to do what he did. Your passport is technically damaged and a foreign government could decide not to take it.



The agent who didn’t take it would’ve been off the hook. the one who let you on will be the one who got the discipline from Delta. I sincerely doubt that Delta is going to punish the agent for not allowing you on with a damaged passport




Time to get a new passport


“your passport has been significantly damaged, especially the book cover or the page displaying your personal data and photo, you will need to apply for a new passport. Damage that might require you to replace your passport includes water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages (torn out), a hole punch, or other injuries.”

https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...help/faqs.html

OP, I cannot understand what you would complain about. You admit the damage is beyond normal wear and tear. You concede a new passport will ultimately solve your problem. Your main complaint appears to be there aren't enough checks, but there was an employee and their manager. How many more checks would you want for an issue you admit you can solve by simply replacing the passport?

Should there be a committee that reviews passport damage to determine how much is too much?

What if the airline said nothing and French customs declined you entry. Would you complain to them that your passport wasn't really that damaged?

I mean I get it if it was damaged while abroad or just before your first trip and you needed help getting out of a bad situation you had little to no control over. But seems like you have had plenty of opportunity to replace it.

Do you think your complaint might get the person that let you through in some hot water?

My opinion is you have been lucky for a while and you already know the easiest solution (which doesn't include the airline). So, just move on and save your complaint "karma" for something a little less up to interpretation.

It sucks. Agents have wide latitude in interpreting the rules. Their goal is more to avoid government fines if you’re denied entry after they transport you, and some cultures are more rule-based than others.

The problem is it isn't as "simple" as replacing a passport. Due to CV19 processing is taking longer. This means being without passport for longer period of time.

By the OP's own admittance, it has been 4 - 5 years since the damage. And he didn't have any immediate travel planned at that point. Plenty of time to get a new passport.

The language US State Department uses is "significantly damaged," but does not define it beyond "water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages (torn out), a hole punch, or other injuries." Other injuries include a broken chip. In short, the data page and the chip need to be intact, and the book needs to appear unaltered. The State Department does not define a significant tear, nor does it even define a limit to the damage on the front cover beyond a hole punch or a clearly broken microchip.

I'm highlighting this because "normal wear and tear" means a lot of different things. For example, I'm both an adventure traveler and also perform medical missions. In both settings, my passport is subjected to wear and tear that's above what one would expect from a leisure traveler and/or a business person. My last book was clearly well loved... and I was never challenged by a CPB agent yet some airline agents would balk because it wouldn't scan when they swiped it through the keyboard. This experience includes countries one wouldn't expect to be lenient toward rule bending.

Maybe all I'm trying to say is please cut the OP some slack and assume that the book isn't particularly bad since CPB and other agents have accepted it for the past five years without issue.

INJURIES? Injury is damage to a living object. Is your passport one of those new AI models with personhood rights?

I know first hand what the processing times are during Covid, and it isn't that much longer and you can pay to expedite. And if very urgent there are other options for even faster service. YMMV of course, but it is still as simple as replacement.

I agree 100%, normal wear and tear means different things to different people. That is exactly my point, to the first employees it meant something different than the OP's experience thus far. All the more reason to get rid of the root cause of the issue here, the passport and not bother complaining to Delta. I totally get the OP's frustration when you haven't had a problem then for no apparent reason you do. But if we cut OP slack on their definition of damaged then the same goes for Delta employees. Bottom line is don't bother complaining and just get a new passport. No longer any problems arguing over how much damage is too much.