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A six-year-old boy named Casper became an unexpected globetrotter thanks to Spirit Airlines, who accidentally placed him on the wrong plane.
According to reports, Casper had boarded his first-ever flight from Philadelphia on Thursday (December 21). Reports claim he was expected to arrive at Fort Myers Airport. However, when his grandmother, Maria Ramos, waited for him to exit the gate of arriving flights, the young boy didn’t show up, per NBC News.
Ramos would soon discover that Spirit Airlines hadn’t flown Casper to the correct destination. He had landed on a different aircraft that ended up taking him to Orlando International Airport.
“They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight,’” she recalled the horrific incident to WINK News. “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.’”
Understandably, Ramos panicked as he noticed that all passengers, who should have been on Casper’s flight, had already deboarded the airplane. This triggered a rush of various thoughts in her mind.
Her grandson eventually called her and informed her that the aircraft he was on had taken him to Orlando. This news forced Ramos to drive four hours to the airport where he landed.
The budget-friendly airline became aware of the mix-up and reportedly offered to cover the gas expenses for the lengthy drive it took to get to Orlando.
Spirit Airlines hadn’t provided a detailed explanation as to why they sent Casper to the wrong location and how he could board an aircraft for the Orlando flight without a valid ticket.
A spokesperson for the company has since released a statement, which read, “On Dec. 21, an unaccompanied child traveling from Philadelphia (PHL) to Fort Myers (RSW) was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando (MCO).”
“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 statement concluded, “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.”
Ramos has been trying to get an explanation for the error on the airline’s behalf, but so far she hasn’t heard back with any sort of reasoning on how Casper ended up on the wrong flight.
His mother directly handed Casper to a flight attendant at the Philly airport, adding to the confusion. The flight attendant took on the responsibility of caring for the young boy and ensuring he was on the correct plane.
Ramos now grapples with unanswered questions, wondering if Spirit Airlines mistakenly allowed her grandson to wander through the airport unattended, leading him to lose his way and board the wrong flight.
Additionally, Spirit says the boy was accompanied at all times and that the mishap was a simple error, though Ramos wants an actual explanation as to how this could be possible.
“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,” a spokesperson for Spirit concluded.
