Delta Apologizes for Switching Kids on Airline
Delta Airlines is apologizing for a switch of youngsters that sent them to the wrong cities last year, according to a Florida Times-Union article. The children were minors and in the custody of the airline’s unaccompanied minors program. Delta blamed the mix-up on a paperwork swap that incorrectly routed the children on wrong connecting flights in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The boy ended up in Cleveland instead of Boston, and the girl was sent to Boston instead of Cleveland.
The girl has been identified by a Boston television station as Kieren Kershaw, 9, who was heading from his home in Spokane, Washington to Boston to visit his grandparents. The young girl was also alone. Kieren said the airline employees apologized and fed him and gave him donuts.
Do you have rights as an airline passenger? Since airline deregulation in the late 1970s all of your rights are in the small print on the back of your airline ticket. You are entering into a binding agreement when you buy that ticket.
Kieren’;s grandfather, Larry Kershaw, said the airline failed to even ask the boy’s name to match the paperwork, after they are being paid to watch him. He asks how you can mix up a boy and a girl.
Delta Airlines admits the children were in their custody at the time. An investigation is underway.
Delta has made some amends. Besides apologizing to the families, the airline sent the children to their final destination at no cost, refunded the children’s tickets, and gave the family credits for future travel. And don’t forget the donuts.
