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WUSA9.com - Child Ends Up On Wrong Flight
LA PLATA, Md. (WUSA) -- It was supposed to be an hour and a half flight.Advertisement
Instead, a 12 year old La Plata boy took a 700 mile detour after he was put on the wrong United Airlines flight.
Stephen Carswell is used to flying alone because his parents are divorced and he travels back and forth between Washington and South Carolina where his mother lives.
On Monday night, he ended up on a plane bound for Chicago after a gate agent who was boarding two flights at the same time in Columbia, South Carolina, misdirected him to the wrong plane.
"I wasn't scared. I didn't know what to think," he told 9NEWS NOW.
When his father, Donald Carswell discovered he wasn't on the flight that landed at Dulles, he started to panic.
When his mother who just said goodbye to her son, found out Stephen couldn't even be found in the computer system, she became hysterical.
"He was at the right gate at the right time but the ticket agent didn't look at his ticket," Jennifer Merchant said.
Donald's father wants to know why it took the airline several hours to let him know what happened and that his child was safe.
United Airlines issued a statement that reads: "We apologize for what happened and will ensure this very rare occurrence doesn't happen again."
They point out there is a program where for $99, a child can be escorted from gate to gate but Stephen's parents say that's not the point. They say that shouldn't be the only way to ensure their child gets on the right plane.
United Airlines refunded Stephen's ticket and gave his father a $200 voucher and his mother a free ticket for a future flight.
Despite what happened, Donald Carswell says he's willing to give United Airlines another shot. Stephen says he has no qualms about flying alone.
LA PLATA, Md. (WUSA) -- It was supposed to be an hour and a half flight.Advertisement
Instead, a 12 year old La Plata boy took a 700 mile detour after he was put on the wrong United Airlines flight.
Stephen Carswell is used to flying alone because his parents are divorced and he travels back and forth between Washington and South Carolina where his mother lives.
On Monday night, he ended up on a plane bound for Chicago after a gate agent who was boarding two flights at the same time in Columbia, South Carolina, misdirected him to the wrong plane.
"I wasn't scared. I didn't know what to think," he told 9NEWS NOW.
When his father, Donald Carswell discovered he wasn't on the flight that landed at Dulles, he started to panic.
When his mother who just said goodbye to her son, found out Stephen couldn't even be found in the computer system, she became hysterical.
"He was at the right gate at the right time but the ticket agent didn't look at his ticket," Jennifer Merchant said.
Donald's father wants to know why it took the airline several hours to let him know what happened and that his child was safe.
United Airlines issued a statement that reads: "We apologize for what happened and will ensure this very rare occurrence doesn't happen again."
They point out there is a program where for $99, a child can be escorted from gate to gate but Stephen's parents say that's not the point. They say that shouldn't be the only way to ensure their child gets on the right plane.
United Airlines refunded Stephen's ticket and gave his father a $200 voucher and his mother a free ticket for a future flight.
Despite what happened, Donald Carswell says he's willing to give United Airlines another shot. Stephen says he has no qualms about flying alone.
