Spirit Airlines has fired a gate agent in Philadelphia for putting an unaccompanied 6-year-old boy on the wrong plane — which sent him flying hundreds of miles from his intended destination in Florida.
Spirit blamed gate agents for Casper Ramos’ first-time flight ending up on a flight to Orlando International Airport instead of one bound for Southwest Florida Airport in Fort Myers, more than 200 miles away.
“We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our Guests seriously, and we have policies and procedures in place to prevent situations like this from occurring,” the company told WINK News in a statement.
“To better understand what happened, we immediately launched a thorough internal investigation and discovered that the gate agent at Philadelphia (PHL) escorted the child to the wrong plane,” he said.
“This agent is no longer employed by Spirit, and any individual whose actions resulted in incorrect entry will be held accountable for failing to follow our procedures,” the statement added.
Maria Ramos said she’s glad Spirit Airlines took action after her grandson got on the wrong flight while traveling alone.
The airline said it “reiterated our procedures to the team” and was also in touch with the child’s family, which said it was considering legal options as it sought answers to the mix-up.
Maria Ramos, Casper’s grandmother, said she’s glad the airline is finally taking action.
“I am happy to have an answer after seven days,” Ramos told the news channel. “They called me, and they told me, ‘I’m sorry, it was our mistake.’ I think they’re looking at the camera.”
Casper, who was supposed to fly to Fort Myers, somehow ended up in Orlando.
Despite news of the investigation and action against the staff, Ramos said he wanted additional details.
“I want more and I really want to see the video. I really want to see the video. I am working with Spirit Airlines to come back with more answers,” he told WINK.
Former flight attendant and CEO of Travelers Care Shelly-Ann Cawley described the process as involving unaccompanied minors.
It took Spirit Airlines six days to reportedly contact the family. WINK news
“You check in at the ticket counter with your child, you go through security, you get your boarding pass, you take your child to the gate, and you’re supposed to wait until the plane takes off,” he told the outlet.
Contrary to popular perception, a flight attendant will not stay with a child flying solo for the entire trip.
“Most airline policies will tell you, if you look at their contract of carriage, it will say the flight attendant will check your child’s authorized time,” Cawley told WINK. “Their main task is not just the child. It was 100, 150 or 280 passengers on the plane.”
The family of the 6-year-old boy said it is considering legal options as it seeks answers about the mix-up. AP
Ramos previously expressed his disappointment with how the incident happened.
“Come on, you’ve got cameras all over this place. You’ve got cameras on your plane. You’ve got all the cameras. You’re telling me you don’t know what happened to Casper, five days later, and it’s under investigation?” he told the outlet, adding that he was considering seeking legal help.
Spirit said previously that the boy “was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the mistake, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them.”
Casper Ramos was expected to arrive at Southwest Florida Airport in Fort Myer, but instead was sent to Orlando. Educational Images/Universal Image Group via Getty Images
Ramos, who said he was listed as the child’s emergency contact, has insisted that the airline never told him he was on a flight to Orlando. Instead, he said, he was only told he never got on the plane to Fort Myers.
Casper eventually FaceTimed his grandmother, who set off on a four-hour drive to pick up the 6-year-old.
The company has offered to reimburse him for the drive and also told him it will pay for Casper’s return flight to Philadelphia and a round trip for Ramos to accompany him.
Spirit allows unaccompanied minors — between the ages of 5 and 14 — to travel domestically across the US on direct flights.
The Post has reached out to the airline for additional comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
