- A six-year-old boy found himself on the wrong flight, separated from his family, after Spirit Airlines mistakenly placed him on the wrong plane
- Casper was supposed to be traveling to Fort Myers to be with his grandmother, Maria Ramos, but he ended up in Orlando, Florida, four hours drive away
- Spirit Airlines offered to reimburse his grandmother for the drive to pick Casper up but his family are looking for explanations
A grandmother is demanding answers from Spirit Airlines after her unaccompanied six-year-old grandson was put on the wrong flight leaving him stranded hundreds of miles away from his family.
Casper was supposed to be traveling to Fort Myers in Southwest Florida from Philadelphia to visit his grandma on what was also his very first plane ride.
But in a scene reminiscent of Kevin from Home Alone 2, when he gets separated from his family and ends up flying solo to New York instead of Florida, the first-grader ended up in Orlando, on his own without his grandma being there to collect him.
‘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,”‘ Maria Ramos said to WINK.
It left her both panicked and incredulous that such a mistake could have been made.
Six-year-old Casper found himself on the wrong flight, separated from his family, after Spirit Airlines mistakenly placed him on the wrong plane
Casper was supposed to be traveling to Fort Myers to be with his grandmother, Maria Ramos, pictured, but he ended up in Orlando, Florida, four hours drive and 160 miles away
Spirit Airlines offered to reimburse his grandmother for the drive to pick Casper up but his family are looking for explanations
‘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.”‘
Ramos said it was one of the scariest things she’s ever experienced until finally Casper called to say he had landed – only at the wrong airport – four hours away in Orlando, although his bag somehow managed to arrive in Fort Myers.
Spirit Airlines say the minor was ‘incorrectly boarded’. The airline told Ramos that they would pay for her gas for the drive she had to make to collect her grandson, however all she wants for Christmas 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.
Spirit have not provided any information into how little Casper got on the wrong plane
Casper was four hours away in Orlando, although his bag arrived in Fort Myers
Casper called his grandmother to say he had landed – only he was at the wrong airport
The scene was reminiscent of Kevin from Home Alone 2 when he gets separated from his parents
Kevin ends up flying solo to New York instead of Florida in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Ramos told her grandson over the phone to think of it as a special experience but the boy appeared to have been traumatized by the mixup and has vowed to never get on a plane by himself ever again.
Meanwhile, Spirit have not provided any clear information as to how the mistake happened but the airline did release a statement following the incident.
‘On December 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.’