Airline Launches Internal Investigation After Boy Was Mistakenly Flown to Orlando

Flying during the holidays can be stressful.

Orlando International Airport

From lost luggage to missed flights, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Unfortunately, these inconveniences aren’t the only thing you have to be careful of. Last week, one family had a much bigger nightmare happen when their unaccompanied child ended up on the wrong plane.

According to CBS News, Spirit Airlines is launching an internal investigation after an unaccompanied child was put on the wrong plane last week. The 6-year-old boy was traveling from Philadelphia to Fort Myers to visit his grandmother, Maria Ramos, when he was “incorrectly boarded” on a plane going to Orlando, per a Spirit Airlines spokesman.

Spirit Airlines at Orlando Airport

Ramos, who said that this was the child’s first time on a plane, was at the airport in Fort Myers waiting for her grandson to arrive. “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.'”

Orlando Airport

Later, she got a phone call from the boy in Orlando, wondering where she was. After finding out that he was in Orlando, 160 miles from Fort Myers, she immediately made the 4-hour drive up to get him.

Orlando International Airport Terminal C

While Ramos is still looking for answers, Spirit Airlines has apologized to the family and has offered to reimburse her for the drive. “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,” the airline spokesperson said.