Newlywed bride not allowed on plane because of bent passport

Your passport may not expire for another few years, but just because it's technically good for another few years, doesn't mean you should risk carrying it if  it looks even a little worn down. A Philadelphia woman found that out the hard way when she was banned from flying for a "damaged" passport.

In photos posted to Twitter, the passport certainly appears used, bent even. But does it look damaged enough to ruin a honeymoon?

Taking my DAMAGED passport to the agency at 6am to wait in line and pay $200 in expedited fees for a new one pic.twitter.com/6Q0qABm4P7

— carly b (@attntiondeficit) October 12, 2015

A U.S. Airways rep denied Baker a seat on the plane, which Baker claims cost her and her husband more than $2,000 in rebooking fees for their honeymoon.

According to the State Department, "normal wear of a U.S. passport is expected and likely does not constitute 'damage'" – but the problem is that these decisions are made by airport staff on a case-by-case basis. So while your passport may look fine to one set of eyes, it might not pass for another. Baker said she took her passport to a second U.S. Airways employee, who thought the condition was okay, but it didn't matter. Baker told Buzzfeed:

[The employee] tried getting her boss to override my restriction, but [her] boss clearly did not want to throw the first manager under [the] bus by putting an override on file over her first opinion.

A spokesman for American Airlines, which recently acquired US Airways, told Road Warrior Voices:

The customer’s passport was damaged and the State Department does not permit us to allow passengers with damaged documents to travel. We explained to the passenger how she could quickly receive a new passport and have offered to waive all fees and rebook the passengers’ flights, extending their trip two days.

The agent noted damage to the biological page of the passport, including that the page was peeling.

The danger with allowing a passenger to travel with a damaged passport is that they may not be allowed entrance into the foreign country to which they are traveling and would be put right back on a plane to the U.S.

In reality, there is no way to know whether the U.S. Airways rep was doing Baker a disservice or a favor. Passport control in foreign countries can be extremely strict — and the only thing worse than getting denied entry to your plane because of a damaged passport is flying across the globe to be sent home.

If you think your passport looks at all damaged, it's probably best to get a new one. Even if your trip is coming up in a matter of days, there are a few tricks to get an expedited passport — sometimes even within 24 hours. And if you travel frequently enough, you may even be eligible to get a second passport.