Young girl placed on wrong flight

[Hum]

BOSTON, June 16 (UPI) -- A Boston father who sent his young daughter to visit her grandparents in Cleveland said airline staff put her on the wrong plane and she wound up in Newark. :huh:

Jonathan Kamens said he took his daughter Miriam, 10, through Logan Airport security and spoke to Continental Airlines agents before leaving her in their care prior to her flight, WBZ-TV, Boston, reported Tuesday.

"They seemed like they knew what they were doing. The paperwork is very specific," Kamens said. "I had no inkling anything was wrong until my father-in-law called me and said, 'where is she?'"

Kamens said the family was in a panic for 45 minutes while Continental employees scrambled to locate his daughter.

"She's off on her trip to visit her grandparents, and then she's gone, evaporated into thin air and that's scary," Kamens said.

The father said he remembered another plane had been leaving the same tarmac for Newark and suggested Continental check that plane. The girl was discovered on the Newark flight and eventually arrived in Cleveland a few hours behind schedule.

"We take very seriously our responsibility to care for unaccompanied minors on our flights," a Continental representative said in a statement. "In this case, there were two flights departing simultaneously from a single

doorway and miscommunication among staff members resulted in the child being boarded on the wrong aircraft. We are truly sorry for this error and have apologized to the family."

source

[lee31]

She shouldn't have been allowed on in the first place. She's far too young to travel on her own especially with all the weirdo's around these days.

I think our legal system has got it right by banning under 14's from travelling on their own. Some airlines go even further and won't allow under 16's on their own.

I can't believe especiialy in this day and age that any parent would send their young child on a flight on their own.

There's only so much an airline can do. They can't look after her all the time which is what someone at such a young age needs. What if some pervert pick her up and abducted her?

[The Rev]

"We take very seriously our responsibility to care for unaccompanied minors on our flights," a Continental representative said in a statement.

Are you sure about that? :rolleyes:

[Panacik]

She shouldn't have been allowed on in the first place. She's far too young to travel on her own especially with all the weirdo's around these days.

I think our legal system has got it right by banning under 14's from travelling on their own. Some airlines go even further and won't allow under 16's on their own.

I can't believe especiialy in this day and age that any parent would send their young child on a flight on their own.

There's only so much an airline can do. They can't look after her all the time which is what someone at such a young age needs. What if some pervert pick her up and abducted her?

Im not sure there is an age limit, or it is down to the airlines own code as to the ages they allow without parents etc.

I think the airline handled the situation well to be honest. Mistakes happen, no one was hurt and she was put safely back on the correct plane after landing.

I know it COULD have gone wrong, but from my understanding, she was cared for the whole time by staff at both ends until her grandparents got her, so she was never in any danger.

[DDStriker]

Are you sure about that? :rolleyes:

even though she was sent to the wrong destination it doesn't invalidate their argument they would still of taken care of her but just sent her to the wrong place

[Mrs_Angel_D]

She shouldn't have been allowed on in the first place. She's far too young to travel on her own especially with all the weirdo's around these days.

I think our legal system has got it right by banning under 14's from travelling on their own. Some airlines go even further and won't allow under 16's on their own.

I can't believe especiialy in this day and age that any parent would send their young child on a flight on their own.

There's only so much an airline can do. They can't look after her all the time which is what someone at such a young age needs. What if some pervert pick her up and abducted her?

Airlines offer a service they call the un-accompanied minor service, how this works is you pay extra and then come time for the flight you take your child to the airport and sign papers naming the person who is to pick them up and then you sign them over to the proper "sitter"(for lack of a better term) This "sitter" is then responsible for placing the child on the flight handing all proper papers to the next "sitter" who will watch the child during the flight. Once at the destination the person meeting them is then to show identification to validate that they are indeed the person named to pick up the child. The airline in the article is Continental Airlines here's there information page on Unaccompanied minor flights http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/conte...rs/default.aspx

So this is definitely the fault of the airline service in my opinion not doing a proper job. The father paid for a service and the airline lost his child, according to the article they didn't even think to check the other flight until he mentioned something. If this was my child I would be asking for a refund or some kind of restitution. How horrible to not know where your child is.

Edited June 18, 2009 by Mrs_Angel_D

[Growled Member]

Mistakes happen. I'm just glad the little girl is all right.

[Slammers]

She shouldn't have been allowed on in the first place. She's far too young to travel on her own especially with all the weirdo's around these days.

I think our legal system has got it right by banning under 14's from travelling on their own. Some airlines go even further and won't allow under 16's on their own.

I can't believe especiialy in this day and age that any parent would send their young child on a flight on their own.

There's only so much an airline can do. They can't look after her all the time which is what someone at such a young age needs. What if some pervert pick her up and abducted her?

Lol they don't just stick em on the plane and forget about them. They should have a flight attendant with the child at all times, including the handover to whoever is picking them up. (At least this is on the companies I know of, obviously if she was just on the plane by her self, then yes she is much too young.)

[Slammers]

If this was my child I would be asking for a refund or some kind of restitution. How horrible to not know where your child is.

It would be thoroughly surprised if they were not offered a refund. That 45mins must have been the longest 45mins of the fathers life, I hate to imagine how he felt.

[PsyOpWarlord]

She shouldn't have been allowed on in the first place. She's far too young to travel on her own especially with all the weirdo's around these days.

I think our legal system has got it right by banning under 14's from travelling on their own. Some airlines go even further and won't allow under 16's on their own.

I can't believe especiialy in this day and age that any parent would send their young child on a flight on their own.

There's only so much an airline can do. They can't look after her all the time which is what someone at such a young age needs. What if some pervert pick her up and abducted her?

My son has flown all over the country (US) without any issues from age 6 to 16. At no time are the kids just left to where anyone can just grab or pick them up. For younger kids you have to "pay" a mandatory extra fee to the airlines to have them constantly escorted. All the airports my son has flown though with a lay-over, have a secured room (with airport security/airline employees) where the kids wait for their flights. The escort assigned takes them to the plane and cannot leave them on the plane until the child is signed for by the flight attendant. After landing the flight attendant will not release the child unless signed for by the airline employee or the parent. And for the parent picking up the kid at the destination the information has to match what was provided to the airline at the origin as to whom to release them to and they verify with photo ID and signature.

Even though in this case she was on the wrong flight she was still under constant supervision and would never have been released after landing as the mistake would have been identified at that time.

The bad part was on the airlines was letting her on the plane in the first place. To have people allowed to board an airline that they are not ticketed for is a clear security violation of unauthorized access. The flight attendant should have identified the mistake right off when looking at the girls boarding pass to see if the assigned seat was acceptable or if she should be moved to another for better monitoring. It must have been a fluke that the seat assigned didn't have someone else ticketed for it in which case it would have been obvious there was a mistake.

[MidnightDevil]

Airlines offer a service they call the un-accompanied minor service, how this works is you pay extra and then come time for the flight you take your child to the airport and sign papers naming the person who is to pick them up and then you sign them over to the proper "sitter"(for lack of a better term) This "sitter" is then responsible for placing the child on the flight handing all proper papers to the next "sitter" who will watch the child during the flight. Once at the destination the person meeting them is then to show identification to validate that they are indeed the person named to pick up the child. The airline in the article is Continental Airlines here's there information page on Unaccompanied minor flights http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/conte...rs/default.aspx

So this is definitely the fault of the airline service in my opinion not doing a proper job. The father paid for a service and the airline lost his child, according to the article they didn't even think to check the other flight until he mentioned something. If this was my child I would be asking for a refund or some kind of restitution. How horrible to not know where your child is.

Totally agree with you.

I flew "alone" once when I was 13 in Briths Airways. I remember I had a sitter there taking care of me most part of the time. I was flying from London UK to Lisbon Portugal.

Thank God I didn't got lost or had 2 flights taking of the same door lol

[Napalm Frog]

I flew alone from Toronto to Vancouver back in 1994? I was about 8 years old, and that was a fun experience. Except I was a nervous wreck, and refused to see the pilot. :p However, the experience was still fun. There was even a little convoy of kids once I got back in Toronto, where we stood in one of the lobby-type things and they announced names and stuff on the PA system. OMG, those were the days...

[ozgeek]

Home Alone 2 :)

[MrA]

I flew alone from Toronto to Vancouver back in 1994? I was about 8 years old, and that was a fun experience. Except I was a nervous wreck, and refused to see the pilot. :p However, the experience was still fun. There was even a little convoy of kids once I got back in Toronto, where we stood in one of the lobby-type things and they announced names and stuff on the PA system. OMG, those were the days...

I've been to the cockpit a few times as a child. I don't remember much, and now that I think about it, it was probably just an excuse for my dad to see all the gadgets and gizmos :p Oh the good old days.

[maplecookie Veteran]

If you have a child that small...don't stick them on a plane by themselves. It's completely stupid to trust someone who DON'T KNOW to take care of your child.

My parents NEVER did this and always flew down to Tennessee with us and then flew back.

[Robbie Khan Reviews]

Mistakes on a Plane!!!

*gets coat*

[Srugie Veteran]

Luckily everything worked out in the end.

[Colin-uk Veteran]

was a bit silly to let her fly by herself tbh :p

Mistakes on a Plane!!!

*gets coat*

:rofl:

[qdave]

there were two flights departing simultaneously from a single doorway

This should be allowed at all.

[Mezmis]

I'm another one of those 'kids' that can claim the functionality of their Sitter programs, and they always did a fantastic job of it. Constantly escorting you, tons of paperwork, friendly people too, but this article got me thinking. If I can I will get everything possible into a carry-on and go like that -for obvious reasons-, then why would I trust them not to lose my child? ;)

[peterish]

Hahaha Newark of all places. They sent her to da hood.