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What was supposed to be the happy beginning of a life together turned into an emotional blow and a legal conflict. A dream honeymoon in Cuba fell apart from the moment we arrived at the airport.
The Provincial Court of Madrid ordered Viajes El Corte Inglés and MSC Cruises to refund a couple the full amount paid for a tour package to the island, in addition to compensating them for moral damage, after determining that both companies failed to properly inform and manage the travel requirements of the husband, who holds dual nationality and was born in Cuba.
According to Infobae, the court ordered a refund of 3,199.30 euros and set an additional compensation of 1,500 euros for the emotional distress caused to the newlyweds, who were unable to take their honeymoon trip due to a documentation issue that arose just before boarding.
The couple had booked a seven-day cruise through the Caribbean with a return to Madrid, trusting that it would be enough to present the Spanish passport and the corresponding visa.
However, upon arriving at the airport, MSC staff denied boarding to the man, claiming that, having been born in Cuba, he also needed a valid Cuban passport and a special permit issued by the Cuban regime, requirements that had not been clearly or specifically stated during the booking of the trip.
According to a report from another outlet, Artículo 14, the court found it proven that both the agency and the shipping company had access to that information from the beginning, as the Spanish passport provided at the time of booking clearly indicated that the passenger was born in Varadero.
The ruling highlights that the duty to inform cannot be limited to generic clauses in brochures or contracts, especially when the client is paying specifically for the company to manage and facilitate the necessary procedures for traveling.
Although initially a judge had assigned part of the responsibility to the travelers, the Provincial Court corrected that stance and concluded that the companies should have clearly warned about any issues related to dual nationality.
For the moment, the ruling is still subject to appeal before the Supreme Court, but the decision already sets an important precedent: when a trip is thwarted by foreseeable immigration or documentation requirements, companies cannot wash their hands of the situation.
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