A mother has called out United Airlines after her 14-year-old son was put on the wrong flight at Newark Liberty International Airport Sunday night.
According to Business Insider, the teenager was scheduled to fly from Raleigh, North Carolina to Stockholm, Sweden by way of Newark but was mistakenly directed onto a flight to Dusseldorf, Germany.
The boy’s mother, Brenda Berg said United required her to pay a $150 fee for its unaccompanied-minor service because of her son’s age and that’s what led to the mishap.
“We purchased this exact connection so we could be in contact by phone during the transition. He is an experienced traveler and it would have been entirely fine. But they sequestered him in a room for minors, then put him on the wrong plane,” Berg tweeted along with the hashtag #NeverUnitedAir.
We purchased this exact connection so we could be in contact by phone during the transition. He is an experienced traveler and it would have been entirely fine. But they sequestered him in a room for minors, then put him on the wrong plane. #NeverUnitedAir
— Brenda Berg (@BrendaBerg) June 30, 2019
A last-minute gate change also complicated things, leading the boy to board a Eurowings flight to Dusseldorf rather than the SAS flight to Stockholm. Berg’s son eventually realized he was on the wrong flight and informed a flight attendant so he could be let off. However, by the time he got back to the gate his correct flight had already departed and he was forced to catch a later flight to Copenhagen, Denmark, with a connection on to Stockholm.
They are booking him through Copenhagen. He will have 7hours of additinal travel. Still NO one has called from @united. I finally got through to a rep after 52 minutes and i am back on hold. Warning to everyone. Never trust @United with your children.
— Brenda Berg (@BrendaBerg) June 30, 2019
The teen ultimately made it to the Swedish capital and was met by his grandparents but arrived 10 hours behind schedule.
He is at baggage claim! My husband talked with him. Thanks everyone for caring. I’m guessing he won’t make it to camp tomorrow but at least he is safe and with his grandparents.
— Brenda Berg (@BrendaBerg) July 1, 2019
“The safety and well-being of all of our customers is our top priority and we have been in frequent contact with the young man’s family to confirm his safety and to apologize for this issue,” United said in a statement to Business Insider. “Once Eurowings recognized that he had boarded the wrong aircraft in Newark, the plane returned to the gate—before taking off.”
“Our staff then assisted the young customer to ensure that he boarded the correct rebooked flight later that evening. We have confirmed that this young customer safely reached his destination.”
Berg wants to see changes in the wake of the incident, pointing out that the situation could have turned out far worse. “If he had been 10, this would have been so much worse!” she said. “There’s a lot that needs to be fixed, but ultimately, if you’re going to have an unaccompanied minor program, it absolutely has to work correctly.”
In May, a Ryanair passenger flipped out after realizing he boarded the wrong flight. Back in March, a British Airways flight traveling from London to Dusseldorf mistakenly landed in Edinburgh, Scotland due to incorrect paperwork.
