6-year-old flying alone ends up on wrong Spirit Airlines flight

By Pilar Arias FOXBusiness

Published December 24, 2023 7:41am EST

A 6-year-old boy's first time on a plane did not go as expected.

The child, named Casper, was headed from Philadelphia to Florida, but his grandmother told WINK-TV that Spirit Airlines put him on the wrong flight.

"They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight.’ I said, ‘No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag," Ramos said. "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.'"

Casper, who was supposed to be at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, then called his grandmother to say he had landed. His bag made it to the right airport, but he was discovered to be just under three hours away in Orlando.

The boy was in Orlando, Florida, rather than his intended destination of Fort Myers.

Spirit Airlines reportedly offered to reimburse the grandmother for her drive northwest to pick up Casper, but she said she wants to know how her grandson ended up 167 miles away from his intended destination.

"I want them to call me. Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane?" Ramos asked WINK-TV. She wondered if the flight attendant the boy's mother gave him to let the child wander off, resulting him getting on the wrong plane.

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-271N takes off from Los Angeles international Airport on July 30, 2022.

A Spirit Airlines spokesman told the media outlet the child was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando on Dec. 21, but that he "was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member." The airline added that as soon as the error was discovered, they took immediate steps to reconnect the family members.

"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," the statement read.

Air traffic control tower at Philadelphia International Airport, the airport 6-year-old Casper left from.

Children 5 to 14 years old must travel as an unaccompanied minor when not traveling with someone at least 15 years old, Spirit Airlines' website states. Unaccompanied minors are only accepted on direct flights.

The airline's policy says that in these cases, the person accompanying the child to the airport should get a gate pass, go with the child all the way to the gate and then wait there until 15 minutes after the flight takes off.

6-year-old flying alone ends up on wrong Spirit Airlines flight

一个6岁的孩子独自坐飞机，结果坐错了《精神航空公司》的航班

A 6-year-old boy's first time on a plane did not go as expected.

一名6岁的男孩第一次坐飞机，结果并不是预期的那样顺利。

The child, named Casper, was headed from Philadelphia to Florida, but his grandmother told WINK-TV that Spirit Airlines put him on the wrong flight.

这名男孩名叫Casper，当时准备从Philadelphia飞往Florida，但他的祖母告诉《WINK-TV》，《精神航空公司》把他安排到了错误的航班上。

"They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight.’ I said, ‘No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag," Ramos said. "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.'"

“他们告诉我，‘不，他不在这一航班上，他错过了这次航班’，我说，‘不，他不可能错过了这次航班，因为我有值机标签’”，Ramos说道，“我跑进飞机，找到乘务人员，然后我问她，‘我的孙子呢？我们在Philadelphia把他交给了你们？’她说，‘没有，我没有带任何孩子’”。

Casper, who was supposed to be at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, then called his grandmother to say he had landed. His bag made it to the right airport, but he was discovered to be just under three hours away in Orlando.

本来应该在Fort Myers的西南Florida国际机场降落的Casper打电话给他祖母说他的飞机降落了。他的包裹到达了正确的机场，但他却发现是在距离不到三小时路程的Orlando。

Spirit Airlines reportedly offered to reimburse the grandmother for her drive northwest to pick up Casper, but she said she wants to know how her grandson ended up 167 miles away from his intended destination.

报道称《精神航空公司》对Casper的祖母向西北开车去接Casper的费用进行报销，但她说她想知道为什么他的孙子会在距离航班目的地167英里的地方。

"I want them to call me. Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane?" Ramos asked WINK-TV. She wondered if the flight attendant the boy's mother gave him to let the child wander off, resulting him getting on the wrong plane.

“我想他们给我打电话，让我知道我的孙子怎么会在Orlando的，这是怎么发生的？是他们让他下的飞机吗？”Ramos对《WINK-TV》要求到。她想知道是不是男孩的母亲将他交给的那名乘务员让孩子走开了，最终导致上错了飞机。

A Spirit Airlines spokesman told the media outlet the child was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando on Dec. 21, but that he "was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member." The airline added that as soon as the error was discovered, they took immediate steps to reconnect the family members.

一名《精神航空公司》的发言人告诉媒体，这名孩子在12月21日错误地登上了一架飞往Orlando的航班，但他“一直有一名精神团队人员照顾和监管”。航空公司还补充道，他们一发现错误，马上就联系了他的家人。

"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," the statement read.

“我们认真对待运送的每一个客人的安全和责任，我们也正在进行内部调查。我们对这家庭发生的这一事件进行道歉”，这份声明说道。

Children 5 to 14 years old must travel as an unaccompanied minor when not traveling with someone at least 15 years old, Spirit Airlines' website states. Unaccompanied minors are only accepted on direct flights.

《精神航空公司》的网站规定，5至14岁的儿童在没有至少15岁的成年人陪同的情况下必须作为未成年无人陪伴旅行。未成年无人陪伴旅行只能坐直达航班。

The airline's policy says that in these cases, the person accompanying the child to the airport should get a gate pass, go with the child all the way to the gate and then wait there until 15 minutes after the flight takes off.

航空公司的政策规定，在这些情况下，陪同儿童前往机场的人应该获得登机口通行证，陪同儿童一直到登机口，然后等待直到飞机起飞后15分钟。

She wondered if / the flight attendant / the boy's mother gave him to / let the child wander off