- 14-year-old Camryn Larkan was removed from a Porter Airlines flight after she was already seated on the plane
- She was traveling alone for the second time when the incident happened on Friday, August 30
- An airline spokesman claims crew members were “unaware” Camryn was a minor when she was asked to exit due to weight imbalance issues
An unaccompanied minor was forced off a Porter Airlines flight in Toronto, leaving her parents outraged and accusing the company of endangering her.
Camryn Larkan, 14, was on her way home to Victoria, Canada and was already seated when crew members told her she had to get off the plane, PEOPLE confirms. Camryn, who was traveling alone for the second time in history, reportedly received no support or guidance from the Canadian airline during the Aug. 30 incident, according to the CBC.
Her mom, Catherine, told the outlet: “They put my child in imminent danger. It was completely negligent and should not happen to any minor.”
A Porter Airlines representative told PEOPLE that the Camryn was removed “due to weight and balance issues. The crew requested that volunteers be rebooked the next day. “When no one came forward, passengers were selected based on their fare type.”
The statement continues. “Our team was not aware at the time that Camryn was a minor. Camryn left the airport quickly and there was limited opportunity for our team to discuss options with her.”
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Porter Airlines plane.
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Speaking to the CBC, Camryn says she was “glad” her dad was still around and could come back to the airport to pick her up, otherwise “she would have been alone.”
Redistribution of passengers and baggage due to weight imbalance problems is not uncommon, especially in smaller aircraft. However, Camryn says the airline didn’t pass on that information to her at the time, leaving her shocked when the plane took off without her.
“I was kind of really confused… I thought I was going back to my seat,” she says. “I thought they were just going to take my bags. As soon as I got off the plane and saw the doors close, that’s when I started to like get really anxious.”
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Porter Airlines is offering an “unaccompanied minor service” for passengers ages 8 to 17 designed to help children flying without parents, a representative confirmed to PEOPLE. The service is mandatory for passengers aged 8-11 and optional for passengers aged 12-17 and costs USD 100.
The service “provides dedicated supervision by Porter team members and an inadvertent disembarkation exemption,” the representative explained, adding, “This service is at the discretion of the family to determine whether a passenger is fit to fly independently. In Camryn’s case, an unaccompanied minor service was not purchased.”
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Catherine said she was unaware of the service and claims it is “ridiculous” that the airline is treating her 14-year-old daughter as if she is an “independent adult” while traveling alone.
“They’re providing a service by saying we know these people are at risk and saying yes if not [pay for] services, you’re treated like any other adult traveler,” Catherine told the CBC.
A representative for Porter adds that Camryn’s family is in contact with their customer relations team and notes that the airline “has already begun working on additional options to reduce the possibility of this happening in the future.”
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Source: HIS Education