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A few days ago, I wrote about a six-year-old boy named Casper to Orlando International Airport (MCO) versus his intended destination of Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW). Now, Spirit has released a statement saying that the gate agent has been terminated after this incident.
The little boy named, Casper, boarded his first-ever flight from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) on December 21st. He was hoping to reach his grandmother in Fort Myers at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), but ended up at Orlando International Airport (MCO), which is around 166 miles north. Maria Ramos was anxiously waiting at the gate for her grandson, but he never deplaned.
Ramos broke security protocols and rushed onto the plane to see if her grandson was there. A flight attendant informed her that there were no unaccompanied minors onboard. As she frantically searched, her phone rang. Casper called his grandmother to tell her that he was in Orlando. She then made the four-hour drive to pick him up.
Spirit released a statement to WINK TV. It said:
We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all our Guests seriously, and we have policies and procedures in place to prevent this type of situation from happening. To better understand what occurred, we immediately launched a thorough internal investigation and discovered that a gate agent in Philadelphia (PHL) escorted the child to the incorrect aircraft. This agent is no longer working with Spirit, and any individual whose actions resulted in the incorrect boarding will be held accountable for failing to follow our procedures.”
Ramos is now considering legal action against Spirit Airlines. Thankfully, she was reunited with her grandson in time for the holidays and with the boy no worse for wear. It’s impressive that a six-year-old child was able to call his grandmother in the first place and does not look good for Spirit that the carrier offered to pay for Ramos’ gas.
Anthony’s Take: It’s good to see that Spirit Airlines has taken this seriously and terminated the gate agent. I’m still not sure how he was boarded with a boarding pass that would not match and on a flight where a passenger count would surely be wrong.
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