Spirit Airlines Blunder: 6-year-old solo traveler sent on wrong plane amid holiday rush!

During the holiday travel rush, Spirit Airlines mistakenly flew a 6-year-old first-time flyer to the wrong airport hundreds of miles away from his initial destination. Maria Ramos explained that her grandson Casper, who was supposed to arrive at Southwest Florida Airport in Fort Myers from Philadelphia on Thursday, flew by himself, as reported by WINK News.

6-year-old first-time flyer boards a wrong airplane: What went wrong?

Ramos became horrified when she was told that Casper never got on the plane bound for Fort Myers only the boy’s bag made it.

“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,” said Ramos. Further, she added, “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 was sent to Orlando International Airport, located more than 200 miles north of the Fort Myers Airport, where the two family members were to meet, the grandmother recalled. Ramos was sent on a four-hour drive to pick up the six-year-old, sharing that the major mishap was one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. Spirit Airlines has offered to reimburse her for the drive. Ramos, however, prefers an explanation of the travel mishap.

“I want them to call me,” Ramos said. “Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane?”

The flight attendant, after being handed paperwork by the mom, let him go by himself, and he jumped on the wrong plane by himself  In a statement given to the outlet, Spirit Airlines acknowledged their careless mistake.

“On Dec. 21, a flight attendant incorrectly boarded an unaccompanied child travelling from Philadelphia (PHL) to Fort Myers (RSW) on a flight to Orlando (MCO),” the airline’s spokesman, Michael Lopardi, wrote. The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as the error was discovered, immediate steps were taken to communicate with the family and reconnect them.”

Further, the statement added, “The safety and responsibility of transporting all of our Guests were taken seriously, and an internal investigation was conducted. Apologies were extended to the family for this experience.”

Unaccompanied minors, whose ages must range between 5 and 14 years old, were allowed by Spirit Airlines to travel domestically across the US on direct flights. The significant oversight by the low-cost airline happened on the day holiday travel was said to have peaked, according to the FAA. On Dec. 21, 2023, nearly 50,000 flights were taken off around the US, packed with those travelling during the holiday season.