A BRITISH tourist was forced to miss his wife's 50th birthday celebrations after Nick Bryant was due to travel to Bali with his family for the celebrations. The couple, now based in Australia, arrived at Sydney Airport for the trip with their three kids after booking a big holiday on the Indonesian island. However Mr Bryant, author of The Forever War: America’s Unending Conflict , was told he wouldn't be able to board his flight - because of a small tear in his airport.
After trying to board the Jetstar flight, staff asked if he had another passport he could use. He told Sydney Morning Herald : "Mine had a minuscule tear on the photo page, barely visible to the naked eye." Other staff were then called over to assess the damage, before taking a photo and sending it to the Indonesian authorities.
Indonesia has extremely strict rules when it comes to damaged passports . Airlines can be fined thousands for every passenger who arrives in Bali with any kind of passport damage, with travellers reporting being turned away since 2019. Despite pleading with staff, they came back and said he was not allowed to board.
His wife and kids still boarded the flight, with Mr Bryant heading back home to try and get an emergency British travel document to board a flight the next day. However, he was told these aren't accepted in Indonesia, one of the few countries not to. And despite trying to get help from his contacts in the travel industry, he was told there was no way to get to Bali in tim.
