13 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

1 hour ago, potless said:

How would you check that the immigration officer has given you the correct "permission to stay until" stamp?

 

They got this wonderful new thing called the internet, check it out.

So you would pass through immigration and then somehow access the immigration database to check?

On 11/23/2025 at 7:30 AM, daveAustin said:

So easy to tear a page when taking them out.  

Taking what out of where? 

1 hour ago, Peterphuket said:

so perhaps the wrong spelling is being used.

Where/what is this error?? 

I am still trying to,work out ewhat this guy groomed! People, houses, animals, … , etc??? 

2 hours ago, stevenl said:

He never claimed immigration closes down; he said there's no immigration present 24/7 at Manchester airport. Your contradiction is incorrect.

 

You're contradicting his statement that the airline has an interest to deny passengers if there's overbooking with annual stats. Your stats don't contradict his statement; plus it's incorrect to conclude something about this flight based on these stats.

 

In your haste to play gotchya, you have made the same deficient  assumption, that the airport has to consult Thai immigration at Manchester airport. There is no immigration preclearance at Manchester. Thai immigration was contacted. All passengers clear immigration at their port of arrival.Which country other than the UK, has immigration processing at Manchester?

 

As I wrote, Thailand has an immigration contact center that will respond to airline inquiries. It operates 24/7. If you have ever been at BKK you will observe that immigration screening operates  24/7. To do that, there must be an operational data system and supervisory personnel. In addition to the central operations center in Bangkok, there are also agents on hand at the airport who can answer inquiries from airlines.

 

As was reported in the original source for this story;  An Etihad spokesperson said: 'A passenger flying from Manchester to Phuket on 7 October was denied boarding due to visible water damage in their passport at the time of check-in.

'Etihad consulted Thailand's immigration authorities who advised the airline not to board the passenger based on the passport's condition.

 

Your friend also wrote "There is a definate (sic) benefit to the airline to throw a couple people off, for frivolous reasons, if there was over-booking.  There was no evidence of over booking, so why offer an unsubstantiated claim?.  Overbooking requires that there be a full flight.

As I wrote, the flight was on Tuesday, October 7.  Historically, there are no overbookings for offseason flights since the passenger loads are lower than average. Why go off on a tangent about  an conspiracy  by Etihad to  "throw people off for frivolous reasons" when there is absolutely no evidence to support such a malicious and unwarranted claim?  What evidence do you have to even remotely  make such  a claim? 

 

What part of a damaged passport do you not understand? Thai immigration  was asked to review and advised that the  passport was not acceptable. It happens. There is no evidence to support the claim of magical conspiracy to deny the passenger boarding because his seat was needed.

 

 

 

 

Have you looked at the airline schedule and passenger loads?

If you had, you would have seen that on an annual basis, passenger loads are below 87%. The 87% includes high season when flights go out at 100% load.   The flight was midweek in low season, so the passenger load was most likely closer to 70%. This means that there was little if any likelihood of a denied boarding because of over booking.  Even if overbooked, the airline offers 2 wide body flights daily, and would have rebooked the next day without need of cooking up a conspiracy that you claim.

10 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

 

Your  comment relies on your own personal assumptions, and obvious  inexperience with air travel and its regulations..

False Assumption No. 1: Thai immigration  closes down.

Fact: Thai immigration is a 24/7 operation 365 days of the year, and its international service center does not close.

There is no benefit for the airline to "save face" with the position that Thai immigration was consulted. The claim can be verified, and if the airline is found to be lying, has serious consequences.

False Assumption  No. 2:  

 

It is observed that some people offer claims of conspiracy because it is easier to deal with their invented reasons than the  reality which they find uncomfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

you are making the same 

How many times over the past decades have we been warned to make sure your passport is not damaged.  No sympathy for more runs.

2 hours ago, potless said:

17 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I've dealt with difficult airline staff in the UK and they can be outrageous jobsworths and you don't have a leg to stand-on... 

In my case it was about pooling luggage (with my family, all with the same surname) - I was slightly over 5kgs - others in the party were 10 kgs under - the airline (easyjet) forced me to pay for 5kgs excess and would not allow pooling !!!

You can buy a small hand held digital scales to check the weight before you get to the airport. Especially useful if you are bringing back more than you went away with and are unsure of the weight.

 

You missed the point...    We knew exactly the weights we had - we just weren't allowed to 'pool' luggage - with those we family (same surname) w were travelling with - staff deciding to be particularly awkward instead - some are just power hungry aholes.

On 11/23/2025 at 2:08 PM, BritManToo said:

Why not a phone app?

Why not a chip inserted under your skin on the back of your hand? I am joking

Josh Reekie looks a bit like Kashyap Patel, FBI director.  

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Bypass Thailand, much better places to visit.

 

More likely a case IMHO of bypass Etihad, much better airlines to fly with which don't require you to transit en route at that chaotic and overcrowded dump of an airport known as AUH (Abu Dhabi), as per my one and only experience of flying with that wretched airline several years ago. 

Look at the 2 rectangular stamps they are mirrored, the triangular ones are the right way around in the photo, seems to me there are a few discrepancies in this story

Perhaps Eden should have flown to Phuket without him and looked for another bloke without water damage to his passport.

I can certainly understand airlines insisting that a passport be valid, and that the passport itself be undamaged, but to make a big deal about a very minor water stain on a visa is beyond petty, it's obnoxious, it's arrogant, it's foolish, it's stupid and it's completely unnecessary, and totally beyond the pail.

 

We should do everything in our power to bad mouth Etihad, to the greatest extent possible as they richly deserve that kind of reputation. This was a huge mistake and massive over reach. 

47 minutes ago, Jack Hammer said:

Josh Reekie looks a bit like Kashyap Patel, FBI director.  

Please try to avoid associating him with one of the devotees of Lucifer. 

I think that is very harsh and he lost the flight  and lots of money. Old  stamp  and not really  a issue  if he used it since then

4 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

A good warning for next time, just cut that page out, or would they count the number at Etihad too?
I was already not a fan of that airline.

I have heard of egregious penalties for cutting out the page of a passport, that is highly unadvisable. 

 Does not matter where you go on honeymoon.

Only ever get out of bed to eat or pee.

£2400 for a two week honeymoon including flights for two people 😂😂😂😂 

 

Bit more to this than meets the eye I reckon 

3 hours ago, wavodavo said:

You have to bear in mind that if an airlne accepts a doubtful passport upon check out and the passenger is denied entry on arrival the airlne has to pay for that flight back to where they came from .That's why they have to be very careful at check in.

 

Nah.

The airline and the nature of the stamp plus the very small damage.

The airline  were just being a bunch of over the top vagina's.

Also this will guarantee a few people will never fly with them again.

 

 

 

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On 11/23/2025 at 9:18 AM, DonniePeverley said:

If the story is it is ... i feel there are way too many jobsworth airline assistant workers in the Uk at the moment

Why is the check-in lass getting your bile?

Thai immigration have recently changed the rule about multiple re entries, so she is serving two masters at the moment, and she has sought clarification from both 

TI say they aren’t getting in. 
Etihad say the dont go because we aren’t flying them back for free. 
so why is it her fault?

you think Etihad would say “no problem” if she hadn’t flagged it? 
everyone in the world knows….

LOOK AFTER YOUR PASSPORT. 

looks <deleted>ty, but that is Etihad/ TI not the poor lass working on the front line

On 11/23/2025 at 2:17 AM, watchcat said:

 

Thy''ll not miss much compared to Phuket.

True. https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/04/28/authorities-issue-34-taxi-violations-in-limassol-and-larnaca

7 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

A good warning for next time, just cut that page out, or would they count the number at Etihad too?
I was already not a fan of that airline.

Its obvious you are some sort of dummy !!! cutting pages out of a passport !!  a passport is government property 

Adults are responsible for taking care of the passport,keeping it in good condition, you are the  bearer of the document and Governments have the right to revoke a passport as they see fit, A water-damaged passport isnot considered valid

5 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

As was reported in the original source for this story;  An Etihad spokesperson said: 'A passenger flying from Manchester to Phuket on 7 October was denied boarding due to visible water damage in their passport at the time of check-in.

'Etihad consulted Thailand's immigration authorities who advised the airline not to board the passenger based on the passport's condition.

 

Yes - but how much information was communicated ???

 

Phone call: "We have a man here with a defaced passport - Will you accept him ?"...

 

Or..  "theres is slight water damage on the passport we think its ok but want conformation - we are sending you photos so you can make an informed decision".... 

 

The way such questions a framed have a strong impact on the outcome.

 

 

In reality - I've travelled through Passport control with far worse (rips from taking OK TM6 cards, smudges stamps from an immigration officer mistake etc)...  After this thread - I just triple checked my passport to make sure there is no damage or rips - because with frequent use - thats not uncommon.

 

The fact that this was even picked up and highlighted in the first place shows that the staff were just looking to be difficult (IMO) - the IMPORTANT part is the ID page - nothing else matters other than the prospective of showing a travel history.

 

 

 

19 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

A water-damaged passport isnot considered valid

 

You saw the photo of the passport pages through right ?

 

Thats hardly a passport thats gone through the wash - its just slight blurring of the ink due to moisture - its hardly anything noticeable.

Etihad can do one, I used to like them.

On 11/23/2025 at 1:50 PM, Will Iam Not said:

If you check in online and have no baggage, do you need to be checked by the Staff. Don't you put your Passport into a machine, and have your fingers scanned.

Yes I just flew in with Eva and there was no physical check of passport just scanned the chip on front 

20 minutes ago, Mickboy said:

Etihad can do one, I used to like them.

 

Indeed, I have found their customer service to be appalling - all bells-and-whistles until the slightest issue arises, at which point they seem to shut down entirely.

 

Over the years I’ve had several problems:

Award Tickets - Incorrect Gender on Booking
Both my wife and I, as Etihad Gold members, had numerous miles and had booked Business Class award flights. Her issued ticket showed Mr Jane Smith. I contacted Etihad to correct the gender to Mrs, only to be told it would cost US$200 for a name change. I explained that it was an award ticket, her details were already in their system, and the mistake was clearly theirs - yet they refused. We took the risk and flew as Mr & Mr Smith. Check-in was fine, but the unnecessary stress was ridiculous.

 

Business Class Seats Reassigned to Staff
On a separate trip, we’d booked adjacent Business Class “honeymoon” seats. At the gate, our boarding passes were reissued and we were no longer seated together. Annoying, but manageable - until we discovered the people now occupying our original seats were a pilot and his wife travelling on staff privileges. Paying customers being displaced for staff comfort is unacceptable. The crew could do nothing, and my written complaint to Etihad was simply ignored.

 

Chauffeur Service No-Show in Paris
For a Business Class flight out of Paris, we booked a chauffeur to meet us at Gare de l’Ouest. No car arrived. Etihad’s response: “We don’t accept chauffeur bookings from train stations.” Infuriating - they could have said so at the time of booking. After waiting ages, we took a taxi. They eventually offered 25,000 miles, which was at least something.

 

Damaged Pushchair - Zero Accountability
Arriving in the UK with my wife and son, we found our son’s Maclaren pushchair literally snapped in half - the metal frame broken clean through. We filed a damage claim with Etihad at the airport and followed up. Their response: not our problem.
We escalated to an ombudsman who reviewed the photos and tags and agreed the case was clear. Etihad’s final position was: “Take us to court.”
Naturally, the legal costs would have exceeded the value of a new pushchair.

 

 

After all this, despite both being Gold Tier members, we stopped flying Etihad entirely.

 

Now, they happen to be the cheapest reasonable option from Bangkok to the UK with very competitive fares, so I may end up on their planes again.

 

But one thing is certain: I will never expect anything resembling proper customer service from them.

Qatar were not much better when things have gone wrong ( and I successfully recovered money after getting ADR involved to recover the costs of a cancelled ticket - they cancelled - took 5 months to pay out)

Turkish have lied outright when bumping me off a flight - took 3 months to get compensation. 

Emirates Brilliant - flight delay: handled well and paid out full compensation quickly. 

 

 

 

 

It seems pretty normal these days. If there isn’t an issue, we’ll just create one to cause stress and chaos.  Water damage on an entry stamp well that should be a good reason for an airline to deny boarding. ( that should be immigration issue  not an airline. ) 

 

 

36 minutes ago, WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot said:

It seems pretty normal these days. If there isn’t an issue, we’ll just create one to cause stress and chaos.  Water damage on an entry stamp well that should be a good reason for an airline to deny boarding. ( that should be immigration issue  not an airline. ) 

 

 

Water damaged Passport is NOT the airline nor Immigration issue it is the passport individual responsibility,  remember it is government property  you are only the bearer, you do not own the passport 

 

A damaged passport is not considered valid for travel or official use, even if it's just wrinkled or stained.