An unaccompanied six-year-old boy traveling to visit his grandmother was mistakenly put on a plane and landed at the wrong airport in Florida last week, according to multiple reports.
The boy, who was scheduled to fly from Philadelphia International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers on Spirit Airlines, was later found safe in Orlando — about an hour’s flight away — after the Dec. 21 incident, according to CBS affiliate WINK- TV and CNN.
The boy’s grandmother, Maria Ramos, said she went to the Fort Myers airport to meet her grandson Casper. She managed to find his luggage but could not find the boy.
“They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight,’ Ramos recalled to WINK. “I said, ‘No, he couldn’t have missed his flight because I have a check-in tag,’ and I ran to the flight attendant and asked her, ‘Where’s my grandson? It was delivered to you in Philadelphia?’ She said, ‘No, I didn’t have any children with me.’ ”
Mandy Moore opens up about controversial behavior on a plane that ‘terrifies’ her as a pilot’s daughter
Shortly after, Ramos received a phone call from Casper, who told her he had landed in Orlando, Ramos told the news station.
Now the grandmother said she wants answers about how her grandson’s first plane trip turned into what she told WINK was one of the scariest incidents she’s ever experienced.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I want them to call me,” she told the station about the airline. “Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did this happen? Did they take him off the plane? The flight attendant – after his mom handed him the papers – let him go alone? Did he get on the wrong plane himself?”
In a statement obtained by numerous media outlets, including CNN, WINK and CBS News, the airline apologized for the confusion.
Bahamas cruise diverted to Boston and Canada, passengers ‘devastated’
“On December 21st, an unaccompanied child traveling from Philadelphia (PHL) to Fort Myers (RSW) was mistakenly boarded on a flight to Orlando (MCO),” the statement said. “The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we immediately took steps to communicate with the family and reunite them.”
The company added that it is now conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
Spirit Airlines did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional comment.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education