Christmas ordeal for 6-year-old: Incorrectly boarded on a flight and lands 160 miles away from destination
6-year-old boy put on wrong flight by Spirit Airline crew and lands in Orlando
A 6-year-old boy who was visiting his grandmother, unaccompanied, was put on a wrong flight by Spirit Airline crew. The boy is a first time flier and was scheduled to meet his grandmother in Florida.
‘I had no kids with me', flight attendant told child’s grandmom
His grandmother, Maria Ramos told WINK-TV, “I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, ‘Where’s my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia?’ She said, ‘No, I had no kids with me.’”
Maria, who has not been provided any answers by the airline was furious, “I want them to call me [and] let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando,” she said. “How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane? The flight attendant — after mom handed him with paperwork — did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?
‘Grandmom I have landed 160 miles away’
Fortunately, her grandchild called her as soon as he landed in Orlando and said he had landed — 160 miles away.
The Airlines has apologised for commiting a grave mistake during the holiday season travel rush. “The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them,” Spirit said in a statement Saturday. “We apologise to the family for this experience.”
The child was flying from Philadelphia International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers on Thursday. But the minor was “incorrectly boarded” on a flight to Orlando, according to the airline.
The airline has offered to reimburse them the drive, Ramos told WINK-TV but more importantly, she wants to know why this happened.
The airline did not provide details about how the mishap happened. WINK-TV, a television station in Fort Myers, identified the child as a 6-year-old first-time flyer who was supposed to visit his grandmother.
