Teen Pulled Off Overbooked Plane, Mom Had No Idea Until Mid-Flight
A mom’s worst nightmare is being separated from her child. Heck, it’s even a child’s worst nightmare.
I can’t imagine being separated from my kids in a grocery store let alone an airplane.
But recently, a mother and daughter had to live this nightmare when the 15-year-old teen was pulled off a plane due to an overbooked flight, without notifying her mother that was seated at the back of the plane.
The worst part?
The mom didn’t even find out until mid-flight that her teen daughter was left behind.
I just can’t even imagine!
Stacy Giordano was flying from Tampa to Detroit with her son and daughter when they had to switch planes. Stacy had a seat at the back of the plane with her son while her daughter was asked to sit in the front of the plane by Spirit Airlines staff.
Stacy’s daughter was then removed from the plane due to it being overbooked and given to another passenger. Although the teen tried to explain to them her mom was on the plane, they didn’t listen.
“They didn’t want to hear anything. They just pulled her off the plane.”
Jerry Thurswell, Stacy’s Attorney (Source)
When Stacy’s daughter was removed from the plane, she tried to call her mother by phone. However, Stacy’s phone was put into airplane mode due to the airline’s mandatory “airplane mode” policy on cell phones.
So, Stacy didn’t even know her daughter was missing and not on the plane until mid-flight (probably when they finally turned off the no seat belt sign).
The teen was put onto another plane hours later and the airline refunded the daughter’s plane ticket and offered extra flight miles but that doesn’t seem enough for separating a child from their mother.
The family is now suing the airline for $75,000 worth of damages.
$75,000 seems like a lot to me but honestly, I am more angry at the airline for taking a CHILD off of a plane without her parents consent or without informing her parent.
Did they think she was of age?
Either way, I just don’t understand how airlines haven’t figured a better way to ensure tickets aren’t oversold and that flights don’t get overbooked.
If Kylie Jenner can afford software that can track her inventory to inform her customers that her lip kits sold out in minutes, how has an airline not been able to do this with the sale of flight tickets?
Bottom line – I side with the mom on this one. It was wrong of the airline to remove her daughter but it was even more wrong to not inform her.
I can’t imagine being 15 years old, stuck in airport by myself and unable to reach my mom especially if it were an emergency.
Hopefully the airline will learn from their mistake and from now on, make sure no child is separated from their parent.
