I think I've posted this before, but two friends of mine were away on a lads' break to Tenerife with MON from Manchester. One of my friend's passports was deemed (quite rightly, it was a real dog's dinner) to be unacceptable and they were refused.
However, a top effort from MON to accomodate them. They sent my pals packing off to Liverpool for a new passport and kept in regular phone contact about flight options later in the day.
My pals eventually got sorted, returned to Manchester and were sent up and away on the 6pm-ish flight. No charge.
A corking story which always makes me feel that Monarch are up there with the very best British carriers. And no, I don't work for them.