Florida teen on delayed Southwest Airlines flight left alone for hours at airport, mother says
Airline left alone for hours, mom say
A Florida mother says Southwest Airlines needs to do a better job at watching over underaged passengers. Jamie Brown said she thought an adult would be watching over her 13-year-old daughter, Bailey, as she flew from Baltimore to Orlando a couple of weeks ago, especially after her flight was delayed for seven hours.
ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida mother says Southwest Airlines needs to do a better job at watching over underaged passengers.
"It was definitely a nerve-racking thing for me," said Jamie Brown, of Celebration.
She said she thought an adult would be watching over her 13-year-old daughter, Bailey, as she flew from Baltimore to Orlando a couple of weeks ago, especially after her flight was delayed for seven hours.
"She was left alone for a majority of that time," Brown explained. "After her plane boarded, it then got turned back to the airport because of weather delays."
Brown said her daughter arrived home safely, but this concerned mother decided to file a complaint with Southwest Airlines, and she finally received a response.
"A supervisor called me and informed me that their policy is that they take no responsibility for children that age if there are weather delays or other delays beyond their control," Brown said.
A Florida mother says Southwest Airlines needs to do a better job at watching over underaged passengers. Jamie Brown said she thought an adult would be watching over her 13-year-old daughter, Bailey, as she flew from Baltimore to Orlando a couple of
We looked up Southwest Airlines policy and discovered that children ages 12 through 17 years old traveling alone are considered "Young Travelers," rather than unaccompanied minors. The policy states:
"A Young Traveler must have the maturity and capability to travel alone, including but not limited to checking in, passing through the security checkpoint, boarding, deplaning, and claiming luggage."
Jamie says, "My advice would be to change that policy. I understand that’s their policy in place. It’s just too long to be, for children of that age to be left alone. It’s not ok."
Southwest Airlines released a statement saying in part, "We apologize that the Customer had a less than positive experience and our Customer Engagement Team has been in touch with the family to discuss their individual situation."