CNN
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A Florida teenager touring alone was meant to fly to his mom in Ohio on a Frontier Airways flight, however as a substitute ended up on a flight to Puerto Rico.
The 16-year-old passenger was scheduled to fly from Tampa to Cleveland on December 22, however “mistakenly boarded a special flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico,” Frontier Director of Company Communications Jennifer de la Cruz stated in an announcement to CNN.
The Ohio and Puerto Rico flights departed from the identical gate, with the flight to Puerto Rico taking off first, in response to de la Cruz.
“Frontier has prolonged its honest apologies to the household for the error,” de la Cruz stated.
The combo-up comes after the same current incident involving an unaccompanied 6-year-old, who acquired on the fallacious Spirit Airways flight and ended up in Orlando as a substitute of Ft. Myers.
It was the primary solo flight for {the teenager}, Logan, who suffers from flight anxiousness, the teenager’s father Ryan Lose informed CNN in a cellphone interview Saturday.
The daddy stated he and his present spouse Krista talked the teenager by means of go to the gate.
However when Logan acquired to the gate in Tampa at round 8 p.m., passengers had been already boarding, Lose stated.
“He went up there and requested the girl if the flight was boarding, they usually stated, ‘sure,’ they usually additionally checked his bag to ensure it match,” Lose stated. “However Logan stated they by no means scanned his ticket. Logan stated they only glanced at it and stated, ‘Sure, you’re on the best flight,’ after which he boarded.”
“If they’d scanned his boarding move, they’d’ve identified my son was on the fallacious airplane,” Lose stated.
CNN reached out to Frontier about Lose’s assertion Saturday evening however has not but acquired a response.
Lose stated they realized one thing was amiss when Logan’s mom known as round 8:30 p.m. to let him know their son had boarded, they usually realized he acquired on a airplane too early.
“That’s when my 9-year-old son seemed up the flight standing and realized {that a} flight to Puerto Rico had simply taken off from the identical gate Logan’s Ohio flight was taking off from,” Lose stated.
Lose informed CNN they tried calling Logan to warn him he was on the fallacious airplane, however his cellphone went straight to voicemail.
Lose stated they contacted Frontier Airways round 8:40 p.m. to allow them to know what was taking place and his son was on the fallacious flight.
The daddy stated round 10:15 p.m., Frontier known as and knowledgeable him Logan was certainly on the flight to Puerto Rico and they might let the pilot know to maintain an eye fixed out for him.
De la Cruz stated within the airline assertion Logan “was instantly flown again to Tampa on the identical plane and accommodated on a flight to Cleveland the next day.”
Lose stated Logan made it again to Tampa round 3:30 a.m., and left on a flight to Cleveland at 7:45 a.m.
“This complete ordeal has been nerve-racking for everybody,” Lose informed CNN.
Frontier stated within the assertion they don’t have an “unaccompanied minor program” to offer escorts to minors. Nevertheless, they permit youngsters over the age of 15 to fly alone.
Whereas there are not any Division of Transportation rules round journey for unaccompanied minors, airways have particular procedures to guard the youngsters throughout journey, in response to the US Department of Transportation. Nevertheless, most airways will permit a baby to fly alone on home flights at age 15 with none unaccompanied minor procedures, the company stated.