DENVER - A man wasn't allowed to get on his flight from Denver International Airport because his passport wasn't in good enough shape.
Mike Miller of San Francisco stopped through Denver to see family on his way to a vacation in Costa Rica.
"I do kind of miss snow," Miller said, "but I also like the beach a lot too."
He was going to meet several of his friends who are turning 50 around the same time, but he's heading back home to San Francisco.
Miller thought if he was going to have problems with his passport it would be in the security or line or maybe later in customs. He never thought a Frontier Airlines ticket counter agent would be the one to tell him he couldn't leave the country.
"She looked at it and said, 'We can't let you go because the condition of your passport is too worn out,'" Miller said.
Years ago, the cover of Miller's passport started to come unglued, but it kept working for him.
He says he's taken six trips to other countries in the last few years.
"I've never had a problem with it. I've even asked the customs officials coming back if I should get a new one because it's worn and they've all told me it's fine as long as it's not expired," Miller said.
It may be fine in most countries, but not Costa Rica.
Frontier says it was trying to save Miller even more trouble, because if he'd made it to the country, they'd have sent him right back to the U.S. and possibly charged a fine to the airline.
Frontier pointed us to a U.S. State Department web page that reads, "Costa Rican Immigration may deny entry if the passport is damaged in any way."
Miller still isn't happy with Frontier. He says if they knew that, they should have shared it before he got to the airport.
"[Frontier should] have a large warning if you're going to Costa Rica before you pull the trigger on the ticket," he said.
If you're planning to fly to another country, you can check the State Department's advice on this website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_4965.html.
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