Jul 11, 2009 8:41 am US/Eastern
Military Couple Denied Trip Over Passport Problem
SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. (CBS4) ―
Military couples try to make the most of every moment they spend together. For couples like Travis and Melissa Collier, those moments are rare.
That's why the couple planned a Caribbean honeymoon while Travis was home from Iraq on leave. Travis is a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army and is in the midst of his second tour of duty in Iraq. But instead of enjoying a $3,000 Jamaican vacation, the couple got detoured to Miami. All because of a passport problem.
The couple said Travis did not have time to get a passport while he was in Iraq. Melissa and Travis' mother said they called American Airlines to make sure Travis could fly to Jamaica with his military ID and documents showing he is stationed in Iraq and is set to return there later this month. Melissa said they were told Travis would be allowed on the plane.
"They told (Travis's mother) that basically as long as he had his orders, his military id and his copy of his leave form, he was gonna be good to go," Melissa said.
However, the couple said when they arrived at the airport in Missouri to catch their flight to Jamaica on Wednesday, American Airlines would not allow him on the plane because he did not have a passport.
"I was really upset because we never get to do anything," Melissa told
CBS 4's Carey Codd. "We have three small kids and I just wanted to do something, I wanted him to be excited."
Travis said he feels terrible knowing his wife planned a trip and watched it implode at the airport.
"I know she wanted to do it for her but in my eyes too, she deserves it just as much as I do," Travis said. "(Wives are) not supposed to be made for their husbands to leave for this period of time, raise their kids alone, deal with this stuff on their own so she needed this just as much as I did."
Making matters worse, Melissa said when she called the Jamaican resort to cancel the trip she was told the penalty was steep: they would only receive a few hundred dollars refund because they canceled on the day of the trip.
We tried to reach American Airlines for a comment for this story but it was after business hours on Friday. On American's website it states, "(E)ffective October 1, 2007, ALL American Airlines/American Eagle passengers on an international flight are required to hold a valid passport (in addition to any other required documentation) to enter or depart the United States by air."
But the Collier's insist they received authorization for Travis to fly after speaking with an American Airlines supervisor in Missouri. The couple plans to fight for a refund.
In the meantime, they are enjoying a vacation at the Trump International Beach Resort on Sunny Isles Beach. Travis' mother put up the money so the couple could spend a few days away.
The Collier's say the hotel has bent over backwards to make them comfortable. They've received complimentary champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries and even had their room upgraded for free from a regular room to a junior suite with an ocean view.
"We feel so welcome here," Melissa said. "Everyone's been so hospitable."
The couple knows these moments away are fleeting. They leave Miami on Sunday and Travis heads back to Iraq on July 20.
"I keep telling him I'm not gonna let him go," Melissa said. "I've been trying not to think about it because I really don't want him to go."
But at least they'll have their South Florida memories.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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