Australian man rejected from Bali flight after Batik Air staff take issue with tiny rip damage to his passport – here’s how to spot if you would be allowed to fly

A man was barred from boarding his flight to Bali due to a small tear on his passport despite travelling to America with the exact same damage a week before.

The Australian man said he’d gone to the Batik Air desk at Perth airport last Tuesday to check-in for his flight.

However, when staff spotted the small rip on his photo identification page they told him he wouldn’t be allowed to board.

‘The woman who I checked in with, she immediately took my passport straight to the manager and they basically straight up said, “You’re not flying”,’ he told Yahoo News.

The man argued he’d travelled to both the US and Bali in recent weeks for work with the same rip on the spine of the passport.

The damage did not obstruct any information or either of his identification photos.

A man was barred from boarding his Batik Air flight from Perth to Bali last Tuesday due to a small tear on his passport (above)

‘It was just outrageous… I kicked up a bit of a stink, saying it was absolutely ridiculous,’ he said.

The Australian Passport Office states ‘normal wear and tear’ on passports shouldn’t be a worry when travelling with only ‘serious damage’ likely to cause an issue. 

Batik Air reportedly told the Aussie he’d need a new passport to fly with the airline again but he was hesitant as his Indonesian visa was tied to his current passport – which is due to expire next year.

The man said he walked just ’60 to 70 metres’ from the Batik Air desk to the AirAsia desk where he showed staff the condemned passport.

The airline immediately cleared him and he bought a new ticket on the spot. 

‘I had to wait five hours, got on the AirAsia flight and [in Bali] went straight through at immigration,’ he said.

While he’s glad he was able to eventually get into Indonesia, the man is still frustrated with Batik Air for refusing to refund his $600 ticket. 

The man said he has worked in Indonesia for 30 years and considers his and other recent passport damage incidents ‘a set-up’.

‘I understand the rules and stuff but what isn’t right is the inconsistency. If they’re going to really nail people on passport defects – tell them!’ he said.

The man was quickly able to get a flight to Bali with another airline but is frustrated Batik Air (above) will not refund his $600

Several Aussies have reported passport problems when trying to enter Bali in the recent months.

On June 21, Emma Doherty was meant to fly from Sydney to Bali but was prohibited from boarding her flight after officials said water damaged on her passport made the document look ‘dodgy’.

‘I literally just got told that if they let me into Bali, the military and the security in the airport would have put me into a cell,’ she said. 

‘Basically, there was a tiny bit of water damage at the bottom of my passport.

‘I didn’t even notice it. I travel all the time, and it has never been mentioned to me before.

‘Apparently Bali airport is really, really strict, and they are known for putting people into a cell if they don’t like your passport.’

Melbourne woman Monique Sutherland also encountered issues when trying to enter Bali with a ‘dirty’ passport.

She claimed Batik Air made her sign an additional ‘blue form’ when she checked-in to her flight due to stains on her seven-year-old passport.

However, when she arrived in Bali she was pulled into an interrogation room where officials threatened to deport her if she didn’t pay a $1,500 fine. 

‘My passport was actually accepted and already stamped for visa entry, it wasn’t until I handed them the blue form that I was picked on,’ Ms Sutherland  told 7News. 

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Batik Air for comment. 

Melbourne woman Monique Sutherland was fined $1,500 by Bali officials after entering with a ‘dirty’ passport (above)