In what is pretty much the absolute worst-case scenario for a parent whose child is flying solo, a New York mother was met by the wrong child when she arrived to pick her five-year-old son up at the airport last week.
When Maribel Martinez was greeted by a child who wasn’t her own, her first thought was that her son had been kidnapped.
When presented with the boy, she told JetBlue staffers, “No, this is not my child.”
“I thought I would never see him again,” she told New York’s Daily News. “I was freaking out.”
For three hours following the realisation, JetBlue employees reportedly tried to locate Martinez’s son Andy while she panicked.
Thankfully, nothing sinister had happened.
In an unfortunate coincidence, there were two five-year-old boys flying unaccompanied from the Dominican Republic to the US that day on the airline JetBlue. Somehow, they got mixed up along the way.
Watch the Mamamia Team confess to the times they felt like “bad parents”. (Post continues after video.)
Martinez’s son was sent to Boston (where he was presumably met by an equally confused parent), and the other child was flown by accident to New York.
Thankfully, the boys have since been reunited with their real families.
The airline has apologised to the families affected, explaining that “while the children were always under the care and supervision of JetBlue crew members, we realise this situation was distressing for their families.”
It’s not known exactly how the mix-up occurred, but JetBlue say they are investigating the incident.
The airline has also reimbursed the families for the cost of the flights, as well as given them a $2100 bonus.
Featured image: iStock images
Top Comments
Lol this is pretty funny though! An honest mistake where all ended well. I was a frequent UAM and have sat next to many UAMs- they are (especially the seasoned travellers) often better neighbours than adults and I've found flight crews to always be nothing but delightful to them and very attentive.
I have read a lot of reviews of the so-called "flying nanny" service on Etihad - intended for passengers travelling with kids - and it is pretty conclusive that it is just a gimmick, a marketing label for a slight bit of attention of a regular crew member assigned the child acknowledgement duties.
They may be the one to say hi to the kids on the plane, accept requests to warm bottles and hand out the colouring books, no different than any other airline, but that's where the service stops.
However, it is promoted as something far more significant. Other airlines will offer more for children but they don't give the service a special name and make a fuss over it. I think it is quite a deceptive "advantage" that custmers will be tricked by.
https://www.etihad.com/en-a...