6-year-old flying alone was put on wrong flight

A 6-year-old boy was flown hundreds of miles away from his family after Spirit Airlines put him on the wrong flight.

It was Casper’s first time on a plane. His grandmother, Maria Ramos, was excited to bring him to Southwest Florida.

“They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight.’ I said, ‘No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag,'” said Ramos. “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.'”

Maria told WINK News it was one of the scariest things she’s ever experienced. Then Casper called, saying he had landed.

Luckily, Casper was four hours away in Orlando. Meanwhile, his bag somehow made it to RSW.

Ramos said Spirit Airlines has offered to reimburse her for the drive, but all she wants 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 with paperwork – did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?” asked Ramos.

Michael Lopardi from Spirit Airlines sent a statement to WINK News:

On Dec. 21, an unaccompanied child traveling from Philadelphia (PHL) to Fort Myers (RSW) was incorrectly 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 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.