- A six-year-old boy found himself on the wrong flight separated from his family after Spirit Airlines accidentally put him on the wrong plane
- Casper was supposed to travel to Fort Myers to be with his grandmother Maria Ramos, but he ended up in Orlando, Florida, a four-hour drive away
- Spirit Airlines offered to reimburse his grandmother for the cost of the trip to Casper, but his family is seeking explanations
A grandmother is demanding answers from Spirit Airlines after her unaccompanied six-year-old grandson was put on the wrong flight, stranding him hundreds of miles from his family.
Casper was supposed to travel from Philadelphia to Fort Myers in southwest Florida to visit his grandma, which was also his first-ever plane trip.
But in a scene reminiscent of Kevin from Home Alone 2, when he gets separated from his family and flies alone to New York instead of Florida, the first grader ended up alone in Orlando without his grandma there, to get money from him.
“They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight.’ I said, ‘No, he couldn’t miss his flight because it’s my check-in day,’” Maria Ramos told WINK.
It caused her both panic and disbelief that such a mistake could be made.
Six-year-old Casper was on the wrong flight and was separated from his family after Spirit Airlines mistakenly put him on the wrong plane. Casper was supposed to fly to Fort Myers to be with his grandmother, Maria Ramos, pictured, but he ended up in Orlando, Florida, a four-hour drive and 160 miles away. Spirit Airlines offered to reimburse his grandmother for the cost of the trip to Casper, but his family is seeking explanations
“I ran onto the plane to the flight attendant and asked her, ‘Where is my grandson? He was given to you in Philadelphia?” She said, “No, I didn’t have any children with me.”
Ramos said it was one of the scariest things she had ever experienced until Casper finally called to tell her he had landed – just at the wrong airport – four hours away in Orlando, although his luggage had somehow made it to Ft Myers to arrive.
Spirit Airlines says the minor “boarded incorrectly.” The airline told Ramos it would pay for gas for the trip she had to make to pick up her grandson, but all she wants for Christmas is answers.
“I want them to call me.” 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 mom handed him the paperwork – she let him go alone? He jumped on the wrong plane alone?’ Ramos asked.
Spirit has provided no information about how little Casper got on the wrong plane. Casper was four hours away in Orlando, although his bag arrived in Fort Myers. Casper called his grandmother to tell him he had landed – only he was at the wrong airport. The scene was reminiscent of Kevin from Home Alone 2 when he is separated from his parents. In “Kevin – Alone in New York”, Kevin ends up flying alone to New York instead of Florida
Ramos told her grandson on the phone to consider it a special experience, but the boy appeared traumatized by the mix-up and has vowed never to get on a plane alone again.
Meanwhile, Spirit has not provided clear information about how the error occurred, but the airline did release a statement following the incident.
“On December 21, an unaccompanied child traveling from Philadelphia (PHL) to Fort Myers (RSW) was mistakenly boarded on a flight to Orlando (MCO).
“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 reconnect them.”
“We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our guests seriously and are conducting an internal investigation.” “We apologize to the family for this experience.”