Spirit Airlines made a shocking mistake that has left a family fuming. A six-year-old child who was supposed to be headed for a visit to his grandmother in Fort Myers, Florida, was instead flown to Orlando. The boy was unaccompanied on the flight and entrusted to the care of the airline’s staff members. It was only after the entire fiasco that helpless grandmother Maria Ramos received a call from the child himself, saying he had landed in Orlando instead of Fort Myers.
According to CNN, Spirit Airlines has apologized to the family and confirmed the incident, acknowledging that the child was “incorrectly boarded” on a plane to Orlando. The airline further added that they had taken all possible safety measures to ensure the child was under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team member. The moment the error was discovered, they had quickly taken steps to reconnect the family with the child as well.
The entire incident brought on waves of panic for Ramos, who had been eagerly awaiting her grandson’s arrival. She explained in an interview with WINK-TV how she was left with raging anxiety after the flight he was supposed to be on landed in Fort Myers, and the boy wasn’t on it. Despite the airline extending an apology to the family and offering to reimburse them for the drive from Orlando to Fort Myers, Ramos is still seeking answers.
The reason for the mistake has not been disclosed by Spirit Airlines as yet. However, the airline has reiterated that it takes the safety and responsibility of transporting all of its guests very seriously. An internal investigation is underway, but it remains unclear whether any staff member has been held accountable for this blunder yet.
The child’s unexpected journey has sparked widespread concern over unaccompanied minors, who have been taking flights without parental supervision for years now. Airlines, including Spirit Airlines, require permission from one or both parents or legal guardians to allow a child to fly unaccompanied, and charge an additional fee for their service. According to WINK-TV reports, Ramos had made all the necessary arrangements with the airline to ensure her grandson’s safe travel to her.
The airline industry has always been subject to unexpected mishaps, with communication errors, flight delays, and technical snags being the most common of them all. However, few errors have as great a potential for disaster as losing track of a child on a flight. The incident is sure to cast a longstanding shadow on Spirit Airlines, which will need to take massive steps to regain the trust of their customers and ensure that such a tragedy doesn’t happen in the future.