Rebecca McCurry’s dream vacation turned into a nightmare when she was deported from Morocco just minutes after landing in Marrakesh. The 22-year-old realized within five minutes of leaving the plane that she had left her passport on board. Despite her pleas, airline and airport officials refused to let her reboard the plane to retrieve it.
Ryanair staff initially claimed that after checking the plane, the passport was nowhere to be found; later they noted the passenger had misplaced it on board. Rebecca was taken for three hours of intimidating questioning by Moroccan authorities. The officials called her “little girl” and showed little kindness.
She was told she would be deported soon, but not back to Edinburgh—the flight she arrived on was still on the runway. Instead, she was released at a fast-food restaurant where she was offered food she couldn’t eat as a vegetarian. Fearing days in detention, Rebecca falsely claimed to have spoken with an immigration lawyer, which sped up her deportation.
She ultimately flew back to Manchester, where her father drove six hours to pick her up. Thankfully, a friend on the return flight was able to retrieve her passport from the plane.
