A Kenyan lady Sarah with her two kids left Texas to board the direct flight to Kenya and could not do so as the children passports were about to expire in 3 months time.
All countries have rules for travel regarding passport expiration dates and it is important to check the expiration date before booking your flight.
Most give between 3-6 months and US in particular you will not board a flight home if your passport is 3 months to expiration.
She was to board on Monday but had to struggle to renew the same and after a hectic time getting them renewed in New York, she finally managed today but her nightmare were still yet to come.
Kenya airways as a rule demanded her to pay $1800 dollars extra due to the mandatory change fees which she did not have.
We made a call to Bob Mwaura the Kenya airways manager in America around 11.29 P.M Wednesday and he was so promising that he will look into the matter in the morning as he had not been made aware that there was such a problem.
The manager was so cooperative and we believe that had she alerted him earlier, she would not have missed her flight today.
We do hope that Sarah will continue with her journey to Kenya tomorrow but all the same it’s an eye opener for all to be alert in regards to passport expiration rule.
D.K Gitau
Kenyan Parents in USA
CLARIFICATIONS:
Finally Sarah boarded KA direct flight after the intervention of Bob Mwaura area Manager Kenya airways who was notified late at night on Wednesday.
We also learnt that customer service telephones are answered in India which is rather strange.
The airline should have local customer desk just at the airport to handle urgent matters as the reception clerks made Sarah to undergo something she never expected,
They should also know that birth certificate can also be applied for minors to travel with a condition to visit the nearest Embassy of US upon arrival.
Kudos Bob for solving the stalemate.
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