Spirit Airlines has fired the employee who put a six-year-old flying alone for Christmas on the wrong flight.
Grandmother Maria Ramos spoke about how her grandson Casper had been set to fly by himself from Philadelphia to Southwest Florida Airport in Fort Myers on December 21.
But Ramos was left horrified when Casper didn't arrive at his planned destination.
She was told that he never actually got on the plane which had been bound for Florida - though his bag did make the journey.
Speaking to WINK News, she said: “They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight.’
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"I said, ‘No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag'."
She added: “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'.”
It turned out that Casper had actually been sent to the Orlando Airport - located more than 130 miles from his intended destination.
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Ramos ended up having to make a four hour drive to go and pick up her grandson, calling it 'one of the scariest experiences of her life'.
Spirit Airlines then issued a statement apologizing for the mistake.
They said: "On Dec. 21, an unaccompanied child traveling from Philadelphia (PHL) to Fort Myers (RSW) was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando (MCO).
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"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 international investigation. We apologize to the family for this experience."
The budget airline also offered to reimburse the cost of Ramos' drive.
And now, ABC News has reported that following an investigation, Spirit Airlines has determined an agent in Philadelphia had escorted the child to the wrong aircraft.
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As a result, the employee is no longer working for the airline.
In a statement provided to ABC News, Spirit said: "This agent is no longer working with Spirit, and any individual whose actions resulted in the incorrect boarding will be held accountable for failing to follow our procedures.
"We are also reiterating our procedures to the team, and we are in communication with the child's family about this matter."
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The outlet also reports that Ramos was reimbursed for her trip to Orlando to collect Casper.
UNILAD has reached out to Spirit Airlines for further comment.
Callum Jones