World traveler Rich Cress of Bloomington bounded into the airport with his wife, passport in hand. He was looking forward to their Delta flight to Germany — until he was denied boarding because his passport would be expiring within three months, well after his return home.
Germany, like many European countries, requires that a traveler's passport be valid for three months after the date of return. Some countries require that a passport be valid for six months beyond the intended stay, while others allow entry no matter the expiration date. (Entry requirements are listed by country at www.travel.state.gov.)
Cress, who has been traveling internationally for years, had never heard of these rules (many people haven't), and Delta didn't alert him when he booked in June.
Delta asked for his passport information only when he checked in electronically the night before the flight. He was able to print his wife's boarding pass, but not his own. When he phoned the airline, a Delta agent said that everything looked fine and that he should get his boarding pass at the airport.
Cress believes the airlines should alert people to the passport rules at the time of booking, when they generally have time to get a new passport. There is no doubt that such a system would save people unpleasant surprises and the cost of rebooking a flight.
Cress sent his wife on her way that Saturday night, prepped his passport paperwork (also at www.travel.state.gov), and hit the Minneapolis Passport Agency at 212 3rd Av. S. on Monday morning for an expedited passport. He was on a plane Monday evening, to meet up with his wife in Nuremberg and continue their trip to Paris.
"All's well that ends well, but it cost me a lot more money, I missed two days in Europe, and I was mad as hell." Who wouldn't be?
Reach Travel Editor Kerri Westenberg at travel@star tribune.com; follow her on twitter @kerriwestenberg.
