AN AIRLINE admitted a woman’s passport should have been looked at before she was allowed to fly to Spain using her daughter’s passport.

easyjet said it was investigating after the Echo revealed how Sally Nayler, 47, from Benfleet, had been able to fly to Alicante using her 17-year-old, mixed-race daughter Shelby’s document.

Sally was able to fly on the budget carrier from Southend Airport, but then couldn’t make the return flight after Spanish officials spotted the error. She had to wait an extra day in Spain while the situation was sorted out by the British Consulate.

Southend Airport has apologised and launched a probe, but easyJet is also now looking into what went wrong.

A spokesman for the airline said: “We work closelywith all of our airports to ensure the safety and security of passengers and staff.

“We are investigating how the passenger was able to travel with incorrect documentation.

“We can confirm the correct passport details had been submitted online in order to gain access to the boarding pass.

However, as an additional measure a visual identification should have occurred prior to travel.

“When the documentation issue was raised at Alicante, airport staff assisted the customer in arranging an emergency passport, alternate flights and the customer has since received compensation for all associated costs.”

Sally had picked up her daughter’s passport by mistake while racing to make the plane for a hen do in the Spanish resort.

The bride-to-be, Hayley Moorcraft, 29, of Liddell Drive, Basildon, said the incident took a shine off the long weekend.

She said: “The security must be really bad at Southend Airport. We weren’t going to check any of our luggage in. We were going to get on the flight out just with hand luggage but easyJet said because the flight was full we could check our luggage into the hold.

“They would have scanned our tickets and passports for that, so I can’t understand how this wasn’t spotted. I think it’s terrible someone could check their luggage into the hold with the wrong passport.”

Hayley added: “The hen weekend was wonderful, but this put a dampener on the whole thing.

"It was awful having to leave Sally, who is my second cousin.

"We were in the queue to go through to get on the return flight. Three of us had already gone through, then we realised there was a hold up and Sally wasn’t being allowed on the plane.

“We couldn’t go back and had no choice but to get on the flight without her. It was very upsetting for everyone.”

Sally returned after getting an emergency passport from the British Consulate.

Beauty therapist Hayley has since married at a ceremony at the Three Rivers Country Club, Purleigh.