(BPR) A 6-year-old Philadelphia boy headed to Florida to be with his grandmother for Christmas accidentally got placed on the wrong flight by Spirit Airlines. Incidentally, it was the boy’s first flight ever.
“They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight,” the boy’s grandmother, Maria Ramos, told Florida station WINK, recalling her reaction when what was supposed to be his flight landed. “I said, ‘No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag.’”
“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,’” Ramos added.
This news left her absolutely terrified, up until something wonderful occurred: The boy, Casper, gave her a ring and told her he’d landed — just not in Fort Myers. Instead he’d landed in nearby Orlando.
Spirit Airlines has since offered to reimburse Ramos for her drive to Orlando, but what she’s seeking are answers, not money.
“I want them to call me,” she told WINK. “Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. 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?”
But the airline doesn’t have answers yet, as it’s currently conducting an investigation.
“On Dec. 21, an unaccompanied child traveling from Philadelphia (PHL) to Fort Myers (RSW) was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando (MCO). 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,” a spokesperson told WINK.
“We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our Guests seriously and are conducting an internal investigation. We apologize to the family for this experience,” they added.
Critics for their part don’t understand why Casper’s parents had let him fly alone.
Look:
Who lets a 6 yr old fly alone????
— Ivy Adams (@burgcats) December 24, 2023
What the hell was a 6 year old flying alone
— W. Brady (@Icrazyhorse13) December 24, 2023
I never understood how people could put a minor child by themselves on an airplane and then at all blame a bunch of strangers for anything happening to their child… ridiculous it’s not the school bus.
— NikiIsAwesome (@niki91c30) December 24, 2023
I never understood how people could put a minor child by themselves on an airplane and then at all blame a bunch of strangers for anything happening to their child… ridiculous it’s not the school bus.
— NikiIsAwesome (@niki91c30) December 24, 2023
