Spirit Airlines put unaccompanied 6-year-old on wrong flight

(NewsNation) — Spirit Airlines apologized after putting an unaccompanied child, who was meant to fly to Fort Meyers, Florida, on a flight to Orlando.

The child was “incorrectly boarded” at the Philadelphia International Airport, according to the airline.

“As soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate 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,” Spirit Airlines said in a statement.

Spirit did not provide any further information about the child or explain how the mistake happened.

WINK-TV, a news station in Fort Myers, identified the child as a 6-year-old first-time flyer who was supposed to visit his grandmother.

“I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, ‘Where’s my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia?’ She said, ‘No, I had no kids with me,” said Maria Ramos, the minor’s grandmother.

Maria told WINK News it was one of the scariest things she’s ever experienced. Fortunately, her grandson called saying he had landed just a few hours away.

“I want them to call me [and] let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando,” Ramos said. “How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane? The flight attendant — after mom handed him with paperwork — did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?”