Agent Who Put Child on Wrong Plane Loses Job

UPDATE Dec 30, 2023 10:30 AM CST

The gate agent who escorted an unaccompanied 6-year-old onto the wrong flight is no longer working for Spirit Airlines. The airline says it discovered the Philadelphia gate agent's mistake during an investigation of how the child ended up in Orlando instead of Fort Myers, Florida, CNN reports. "Any individual whose actions resulted in the incorrect boarding will be held accountable for failing to follow our procedures," the airline says. "We are also reiterating our procedures to the team, and we are in communication with the child's family about this matter."

Dec 25, 2023 6:15 AM CST

A 6-year-old boy flying alone from Philadelphia to Florida to visit his grandmother for Christmas was put on the wrong plane by Spirit Airlines during the busy holiday travel week. All ended well, though not without a scare for his grandmother waiting for him to disembark in Fort Myers, reports WINK-TV. "They told me, 'No, he's not on this flight. He missed his flight,'" recalls Maria Ramos. "I said, 'No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag." She then spoke to a flight attendant, who told her no unaccompanied child had been aboard.

Fortunately, young Casper soon called his grandmother safe and sound—from the airport in Orlando, about 160 miles away, per CNN. The airline had put the child on a plane to the wrong city, though in the right state. Ramos drove to pick him up after his first-ever flight. In a statement, Spirit says the child was "incorrectly boarded" on Thursday, though it adds he was under the "care and supervision" of an airline employee all the while. "We apologize to the family for this experience." Weirdly, his bag ended up on the correct flight. (More air travel stories.)