I was detained at the airport because of a simple passport mistake

A PASSENGER has revealed how they were detained at the airport because of their passport photo – and nearly missed their flight.

Tomi Grainger, who works as a drag performer, was flying from Los Angeles to Australia.

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The 29-year-old said they had been trying to get home for a week, with four of their flights cancelled along with huge delays.

After their flight finally went ahead, they wrote on their social media that they were “about to board” when staff pulled them aside – for the second time this year.

They said on Instagram: “I’m finally about to board my flight when I am once again detained at the airport.

“This time, the same situation, they don’t recognise my passport photo.”

The performer has previously spoken about having cosmetic procedures costing as much as £18,000, being the youngest person in Australia to have a face lift at age 28.

And due to the work, Tomi was stopped back in May as they didn’t believe it was them in their passport photo, only for it to happen again.

They continued: “So I go through TSA (Transportation Security Administration), go through everything else, but they do another security check now at some of the airport as you’re boarding the flight.

“They said, ‘We’ll just see your passport. This doesn’t look like you.'” 

They said they were forced to pull up previous news stories of this happening to them before to prove it was them.

Thankfully staff allowed them to go through and board their flight – but people on social media had less sympathy for them.

One person wrote: “Babe, time to get a new passport.”

Another said: “Well, when you don’t look like your passport photo due to surgery that is what happens.

“Same thing if you had been in an accident and damaged your face. Get a new passport.”

Tomi isn’t the only person this has happened to.

Passenger Alisha Marie said her passport nearly stopped her from boarding – because staff didn’t believe it was her in the picture.

She added: “This is why you should never do hot photos for your passports because I don’t look like this.”

And actress Tatiana Lin said she was stopped from entering a country because her face looked so different to her passport photo without makeup.

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