As the plane taxied to the airport terminal in Christchurch, New Zealand (NZ), my heart almost stopped when I looked at Robert’s passport. It had expired! It never occurred to me that his American passport was only good for five years since my NZ one was good for ten. Robert’s view out the plane window might be all he was going to see of NZ on our first trip back since being married. How was I going to tell him?
I quietly handed him his passport and decided it was best for Robert to hear the news from an official. This way his reaction would be completely unrehearsed. As expected, Robert was suitably dismayed when the immigration officer asked him if he knew his passport had expired.
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The officer asked us to step aside while he called the main immigration office in the capital of Wellington. While we waited for an answer on Robert’s entry status, he asked if I would return to the United States with him. The reality of his situation set in when I answered, “No.” Although the trip would not be the same without Robert, I was unwilling to miss the family reunion.
Thankfully, the officer returned with good news. Robert could enter the country on the condition that he went straight to the US Consulate office in Christchurch to apply for a new passport.
A few years later, Robert and I were in transit to Sydney, Australia to celebrate my sister Deborah’s birthday on December 24th. But instead of being denied entry into the country, Robert was blocked from boarding the plane in Los Angeles. His passport was current, but this time he was missing an Australian visa! Again, it never occurred to me that he needed a visa since he didn’t need one to enter NZ.
We were held over one day while Robert got his visa at the Australian Consulate’s office, arriving just before the office closed early for the Christmas break. I was frustrated to miss Deborah’s birthday, but at least we arrived in time to celebrate Christmas together for the first time in seven years.
Another fiasco occurred when we missed a connecting flight on our way to the funeral of Robert’s mother, Irene. It was infuriating because we were at the departure gate on time. Unfortunately, during the 30-minute maintenance delay, we left the gate to get something to eat. Even though we returned to the gate within half an hour, the plane had already departed! Apparently, the plane was ready sooner than expected and we didn’t know you can’t hear boarding calls in restaurants. Despite the 12-hour delay, we still made it to the funeral.
Thankfully not all our airport stories involve trauma. On our return flight from Baltimore after my Aortic Valve Replacement surgery, we were greeted with good news at Palm Beach International airport. Upon arrival, baggage staff delivered two scooters and one hearing aid—the aid Robert didn’t realize he had left on the scooter seat when we boarded in Baltimore.
This post was drawn from multiple chapters in book II of my dwarfism memoir trilogy, PASS ME YOUR SHOES: A Couple with Dwarfism Navigates Life’s Detours with Love and Faith, https://angelamuirvanetten.com/pass-me-your-shoes/.
3 replies on “Air Travel Shocks”
Talk about travel trauma! And life with the Absent-minded Professor! Thank goodness you are a strong and determined person.
What a timely article with my own travels! Thankfully I’ve not encountered anything other than flight delays. Yet! Looking forward to seeing your home country next year!
You are not alone in having airport dramas. Several years ago we tried to fly to Malta but after a treacherous drive to Bristol Airport in heavy snow we arrived to find snow had closed all runways and our flight had vanished. We had to rebook and on arriving two days later for a new flight I was refused boarding because I didn’t Have a full six months still on my passport! I had to ring the New Zealand high commission, make a appiont.ent in London drive down there, apply for an emergency new passport, get it, drive back to Wales and get on the next available flight the following day. Having missed 4days of our holiday I’m was very ready to collapse into our hotel and sleep for a day. Still it was a wonderful holiday when we finally got there.