By . Luke Garratt . He is a bald, tall, male barber and grandfather. She is his blonde girlfriend. Somehow, he was able to travel on an international flight with her passport, without a word from any authorities he passed on the way. Neil Clulow, 50, didn't notice he had grabbed his partner Karen Clift's travel documents when he left for his flight to Alicante from Birmingham Airport to celebrate a 50th birthday in Benidorm where he was staying with friends. Because he was only travelling with hand luggage, Neil only had to show his boarding pass to get through airport security. The passport of Neil Clulow (left) and Karen Clift (right). Clulow used Clift's passport by mistake when travelling to Spain, but still managed to board the plane, as no one noticed his error . Spot the difference: Neil Clulow, left, was able to board a plane with his girlfriend's passport, which he took to the airport by accident, despite the fact that his girlfriend, Karen Clift, right, is a blonde woman and not a bald man . The grandfather-of-five had breakfast at the airport, and then flashed his passport to a Monarch Airlines member of staff at the gate and boarded the plane. And after the two-and-three-quarter hour flight, he successfully breezed through passport control at Alicante Airport without a word from the Spanish authorities. He only realised his mistake when he and his friends were comparing passport pictures and he discovered he had used his partner's documents. Neil, who is bald and has a goatee, said he was astonished authorities had failed to pick up on the mistake even though his girlfriend, also 50, has long, blonde hair. Neil Clulow (front) pictured with his friends in Spain. He realised the mistake when he got to Alicante where he was celebrating a friend's birthday . Mr Clulow, from Halesowen, West . Midlands, said: 'I handed my passport over with the boarding card when . we went to board the plane and she scanned them. 'Then we got in to Spain and went through passport control and I flashed the passport and they never said anything. 'Me and my mates were joking about our bad passport pictures and they looked at mine and said "Neil, you're much better looking in this picture than in real life". 'I can't believe this could happen, especially after all the trouble with the missing Malaysian aircraft. It's astounding. Mr Clulow was flying to Alicante from Birmingham Airport, where it is their policy to only check boarding passes in the event of someone boarding a flight with just hand luggage . In Mr Clulow's case it was up to the airline to check that his passport details were in order . 'With this plane going missing and people on there with the wrong passport you would've thought they would have been a bit more vigilant. 'f I can get through then who knows what else could happen. 'I got through on to the plane and got through passport control in Spain and didn't get stopped by one person. It's frightening. 'They need to crack down at British airports big time. It does need addressing.' Neil had to pay £70 to have his passport sent to Spain via UPS, but was forced to wait in the hotel for the entire three-day break because it needed to be signed for. A Monarch Airlines employee failed to check the passport details, and neither did border control staff in Spain . Further delays came when the company accidentally sent the document to Berlin before redirecting it to Benidorm - meaning he missed his flight home on March 19. Luckily, Monach Airlines bosses agreed to fly him back the next day for free and two suited representatives were even waiting for him when he landed. Neil, who has five children from another relationship and has been with receptionist Karen, for 12 months, said they were both worried about the mistake. He said: 'I phoned my girlfriend and asked her to send it by DHL but they wouldn't take it because it was a passport. 'We said it was important travel documents to UPS and they collected it, it cost me £70. 'They got it on the first plane but it went to Berlin. Then it was in Barcelona on the Wednesday  but it didn't reach Alicante so I lost my flight. 'It arrived on a day later and I flew back then. After the two-and-three-quarter hour flight, he even successfully got through airport security in Spain with his girlfriend's passport . 'It completely ruined my holiday. I couldn't leave the hotel because I was waiting and needed to sign it and UPS kept saying it would be there and it kept getting delayed. 'It was a waste of a break and I lost a day of work as well because I should have been home on the Thursday. 'There were two suited and booted Monarch reps waiting with a plaque with my name on it when I landed. 'They wanted to know what happened. 'They asked if I would be willing to point out the woman who let me through because it was a serious breach of security. 'But I didn't want to do that to her so I refused. I've heard nothing from them since.' Birmingham airport explained that when a passenger has only hand luggage, they only have to present their boarding pass to pass through to the departure lounge, where it is then the airline's responsibility to check that a passenger has the correct passport. Monarch has been sought for comment. U.S Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere, expert on terrorism who investigated a terrorist cell, said: 'For these groups, passports are as important as weapons.' Al Qaeda terrorism networks have been using false passports for years in order to carry out attacks on different countries. Notorious terrorist, Ahmed Ressam, used a counterfeit French passport to enter Canada and apply for political asylum. While living there, he supplied fake Canadian passports to other Algerians, also using a fake Canadian passport under the alias of Benni Noris in his failed attempt to enter the United States and bomb Los Angeles International Airport. Al Qaeda depends on the ability to travel internationally in order to raise funds, recruit operatives, train the operatives in Afghanistan and send them out to plan and conduct terrorist attacks. One of the first lines of defence against this is airport and airline security checks, so airports and airline staff have to be increasingly vigilant about their fake passports in order to prevent attacks.
Neil Clulow, 50, able to fly on flight to Alicante with girlfriend's passport .
Only realised his mistake when he got to Benidorm where he was staying .
Nobody at Monarch Airlines or Spanish passport control realised the error .
He had to have his passport shipped to him at the hotel via UPS .
Was not allowed on the return flight until he received his passport .
By . Luke Garratt . He is a bald, tall, male barber and grandfather. She is his blonde girlfriend. Somehow, he was able to travel on an international flight with her passport, without a word from any authorities he passed on the way. Neil Clulow, 50, didn't notice he had grabbed his partner Karen Clift's travel documents when he left for his flight to Alicante from Birmingham Airport to celebrate a 50th birthday in Benidorm where he was staying with friends. Because he was only travelling with hand luggage, Neil only had to show his boarding pass to get through airport security. The passport of Neil Clulow (left) and Karen Clift (right). Clulow used Clift's passport by mistake when travelling to Spain, but still managed to board the plane, as no one noticed his error . Spot the difference: Neil Clulow, left, was able to board a plane with his girlfriend's passport, which he took to the airport by accident, despite the fact that his girlfriend, Karen Clift, right, is a blonde woman and not a bald man . The grandfather-of-five had breakfast at the airport, and then flashed his passport to a Monarch Airlines member of staff at the gate and boarded the plane. And after the two-and-three-quarter hour flight, he successfully breezed through passport control at Alicante Airport without a word from the Spanish authorities. He only realised his mistake when he and his friends were comparing passport pictures and he discovered he had used his partner's documents. Neil, who is bald and has a goatee, said he was astonished authorities had failed to pick up on the mistake even though his girlfriend, also 50, has long, blonde hair. Neil Clulow (front) pictured with his friends in Spain. He realised the mistake when he got to Alicante where he was celebrating a friend's birthday . Mr Clulow, from Halesowen, West . Midlands, said: 'I handed my passport over with the boarding card when . we went to board the plane and she scanned them. 'Then we got in to Spain and went through passport control and I flashed the passport and they never said anything. 'Me and my mates were joking about our bad passport pictures and they looked at mine and said "Neil, you're much better looking in this picture than in real life". 'I can't believe this could happen, especially after all the trouble with the missing Malaysian aircraft. It's astounding. Mr Clulow was flying to Alicante from Birmingham Airport, where it is their policy to only check boarding passes in the event of someone boarding a flight with just hand luggage . In Mr Clulow's case it was up to the airline to check that his passport details were in order . 'With this plane going missing and people on there with the wrong passport you would've thought they would have been a bit more vigilant. 'f I can get through then who knows what else could happen. 'I got through on to the plane and got through passport control in Spain and didn't get stopped by one person. It's frightening. 'They need to crack down at British airports big time. It does need addressing.' Neil had to pay £70 to have his passport sent to Spain via UPS, but was forced to wait in the hotel for the entire three-day break because it needed to be signed for. A Monarch Airlines employee failed to check the passport details, and neither did border control staff in Spain . Further delays came when the company accidentally sent the document to Berlin before redirecting it to Benidorm - meaning he missed his flight home on March 19. Luckily, Monach Airlines bosses agreed to fly him back the next day for free and two suited representatives were even waiting for him when he landed. Neil, who has five children from another relationship and has been with receptionist Karen, for 12 months, said they were both worried about the mistake. He said: 'I phoned my girlfriend and asked her to send it by DHL but they wouldn't take it because it was a passport. 'We said it was important travel documents to UPS and they collected it, it cost me £70. 'They got it on the first plane but it went to Berlin. Then it was in Barcelona on the Wednesday  but it didn't reach Alicante so I lost my flight. 'It arrived on a day later and I flew back then. After the two-and-three-quarter hour flight, he even successfully got through airport security in Spain with his girlfriend's passport . 'It completely ruined my holiday. I couldn't leave the hotel because I was waiting and needed to sign it and UPS kept saying it would be there and it kept getting delayed. 'It was a waste of a break and I lost a day of work as well because I should have been home on the Thursday. 'There were two suited and booted Monarch reps waiting with a plaque with my name on it when I landed. 'They wanted to know what happened. 'They asked if I would be willing to point out the woman who let me through because it was a serious breach of security. 'But I didn't want to do that to her so I refused. I've heard nothing from them since.' Birmingham airport explained that when a passenger has only hand luggage, they only have to present their boarding pass to pass through to the departure lounge, where it is then the airline's responsibility to check that a passenger has the correct passport. Monarch has been sought for comment. U.S Judge Jean Louis Bruguiere, expert on terrorism who investigated a terrorist cell, said: 'For these groups, passports are as important as weapons.' Al Qaeda terrorism networks have been using false passports for years in order to carry out attacks on different countries. Notorious terrorist, Ahmed Ressam, used a counterfeit French passport to enter Canada and apply for political asylum. While living there, he supplied fake Canadian passports to other Algerians, also using a fake Canadian passport under the alias of Benni Noris in his failed attempt to enter the United States and bomb Los Angeles International Airport. Al Qaeda depends on the ability to travel internationally in order to raise funds, recruit operatives, train the operatives in Afghanistan and send them out to plan and conduct terrorist attacks. One of the first lines of defence against this is airport and airline security checks, so airports and airline staff have to be increasingly vigilant about their fake passports in order to prevent attacks.
Neil Clulow, 50, didn't notice he had grabbed his left for his flight to Alicante from Birmingham where he was staying with friends. Because he was was able to board a plane with his girlfriend's a Monarch Airlines member of staff at the gate authorities. He only realised his mistake when he Spain. He realised the mistake when he got to £70 to have his passport sent to Spain via UPS,