Key Points
- A six-year-old child was meant to fly to Fort Myers but ended up in Orlando.
- Spirit Airlines said the child was "incorrectly boarded" but did not explain how the mistake was made.
- The US airline has since apologised for the mistake.
A US airline has publicly apologised after a child, flying alone for the first time, ended up in the wrong city while travelling for the holidays.
The six-year-old was meant to fly with Spirit Airlines from Philadelphia to Fort Myers, Florida, on 21 December, but ended up arriving in Orlando after accidentally being put on the wrong flight.
His grandmother, named in local media as Maria Ramos, was waiting to pick him up, only to receive a phone call from the child saying he was in Orlando — over 250 km away.
“I want them to call me,” Ramos said of Spirit Airlines to WINK-TV. “Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane? The flight attendant — after mum handed him with paperwork – did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?”
In a statement, Spirit Airlines said the child was "incorrectly boarded" but did not explain how the mistake was made.
"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 airline said.
"We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our guests seriously and are conducting an internal investigation.
"We apologise to the family for this experience."
