In a hurry to catch your flight? Don't leave your baby in the airport!!!

DarkFury · 05-14-2008, 08:03 PM

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24615484&GT1=43001

Quote:

Harried family forgets tot in Vancouver airport
Air Canada staff took care of boy while father flew back from Winnipeg

Associated Press
May. 14, 2008

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - An immigrant family left a 23-month-old boy in the Vancouver airport and learned he was missing only when contacted during the next leg of the trip.

Jun Parreno, the boy's father, told The Vancouver Sun the mix-up occurred Monday as he, his wife and two grandparents of the child, J.M., were scrambling between their arrival in Canada and a connecting flight to Winnipeg on Air Canada.

Running late after having to unpack and repack all their luggage, "we had 10 minutes before boarding," said Parreno, who was emigrating with his family from the Philippines. "We were running for the gate."

He said he thought his son was with the three other adults, who were running to the gate ahead of him, and they thought the little boy was with him.

Instead, in a scenario similar to the movie "Home Alone," the toddler was wandering alone between a security checkpoint and the flight gates, said Angela Mah, an Air Canada representative.

"We were called by (security) who told us one of the security people had a toddler in tow," Mah said. "He doesn't speak English, so we found a Tagalog-speaking agent who has been looking after him."

There was no boarding pass for the youngster because he did not have a separately assigned seat, so there was no indication in the airline's computer system that someone had missed a flight, nor had there been any panicked calls from anyone on a flight missing a child, Mah said.

That's because the family was scattered in different parts of the plane to Winnipeg and still didn't know the child had been left.

Air Canada staff began checking flights that had left, and "we eventually determined who his parents might be ... and the flight crew talked to them," Mah said. "They didn't realize until then that the baby had been left behind.

"We're not aware of this ever happening on an Air Canada flight before."

The parents were put into telephone contact with the little boy, and Parreno was put on another Air Canada plane to return to Vancouver to get him after the family's flight arrived in Winnipeg with the airline covering the cost of the two additional flights, she said.

Parreno had tears in his eyes when he returned to Winnipeg holding his son.

"I am relieved everything is OK ... but I was shocked," he said. "The staff at Air Canada took good care of him."

OK... man I'd be in SO much trouble if I had forgot DFJ in the airport trying to catch a flight (I used to fly with him back when it was free to have him fly with me.

)

I'm just glad that they quickly discovered the mistake and rectified it.

mojo · 05-14-2008, 11:51 PM

running for the plane? i guess they didn't have to take their plastic toiletry bag out of their suitcase, take out their laptop and put in a tray seperately, and then remove their shoes and belts

but yeah, pretty amazing. good thing it turned out ok

The Happy Squirrel · 05-15-2008, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojo

running for the plane? i guess they didn't have to take their plastic toiletry bag out of their suitcase, take out their laptop and put in a tray seperately, and then remove their shoes and belts

but yeah, pretty amazing. good thing it turned out ok

once your in the terminal you dont need to reclear security

mojo · 05-15-2008, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Happy Squirrel

once your in the terminal you dont need to reclear security

i know. that's not the point i was making.

what i was saying is that they had to be so meticulous. then after that it all fell apart.

i dunno about you, but when i travel, i know where everything is. it's too easy to lose stuff otherwise.

Paymaster · 05-16-2008, 02:02 PM

Traveling with a baby/toddler adds a whole new level of complexity.

Once when flying out of SMF, my wife grabbed lunch just before boarding, so her hands were full. I had Paymaster Jr (1 yr old at the time), the stroller (gate check), the car seat (Mrs. Paymaster insists that it will somehow protect him if the plane crashes), our carry-ons and our boarding passes. We were pre-boarding, but in the hustle with all the stuff, and Paymaster Jr. fussing and running off, we actually got on the plane without the gate attendant scanning & collecting our boarding passes.

One week later, we try to check in for our return flight, and the airline tells us that our ticket has been cancelled. The reason? "You didn't take your departing flight from SMF, so that automatically triggers the cancelation of your return ticket." I spent a good 45 mins arguing with the airline. The woman at the counter kept stating that there was nothing she could do (lie- there is always a solution) and trying to help the next person in line. Finally they caved in an gave us a new ticket.

And that was with just one kid. Another couple of months, we will have two. I don't even want to think about the idea of airline travel...

cheapie · 05-16-2008, 02:10 PM

you need to REALLY cut down on the stuff you carry on board if you want to have a good time traveling with kids. i fly with my 3 semi-often and the boys have their backpacks with books, i have my backpack w/a dvd player, food, etc., and we might have an umbrella stroller with us. def NO car seat. my wife has her purse w/a blanket, diapers, and maybe a snack.

makes it MUCH easier than dealing with the kids and a crapload of stuff to put away on the plane.

The Happy Squirrel · 05-19-2008, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mojo

i know. that's not the point i was making.

what i was saying is that they had to be so meticulous. then after that it all fell apart.

i dunno about you, but when i travel, i know where everything is. it's too easy to lose stuff otherwise.

ah got ya

yeah traveling suxks recently

nate el bueno · 05-20-2008, 02:23 PM

yep, been there done that.

ShawnLee · 05-20-2008, 08:10 PM

I once babysat a kid from LAX to Korea. I wanted to lose him in our layover in Japan. Would have made life easier. Alas.

Paymaster · 05-21-2008, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheapie

you need to REALLY cut down on the stuff you carry on board if you want to have a good time traveling with kids. ... def NO car seat. .

I'm with ya... but the Mrs. sees it as mandatory.

Another interesting point... with airplane seat belts, the buckle latches inside the channel that the seat belt feeds through (as opposed to at one end, as in most cars). On a flight to Mexico, I buckled the seat in normally, and when we arrived, discovered that the latch on the buckle didn't have enough space in the channel to actually raise it far enough to unlock. The airline had to call in two reapir guys who proceeded to dismantle the seat to the point where the belt could be removed.

And the wife still insists that we use the car seat...

cheapie · 05-21-2008, 03:50 PM

heh. you can't convince her otherwise?

05-14-2008, 11:51 PM	#2
mojo Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: about 15 min away Posts: 8,165	running for the plane? i guess they didn't have to take their plastic toiletry bag out of their suitcase, take out their laptop and put in a tray seperately, and then remove their shoes and belts but yeah, pretty amazing. good thing it turned out ok __________________ say "hi" to lumbergh for me

05-16-2008, 02:02 PM	#5
Paymaster Commander Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Middle Earth Posts: 1,367	Traveling with a baby/toddler adds a whole new level of complexity. Once when flying out of SMF, my wife grabbed lunch just before boarding, so her hands were full. I had Paymaster Jr (1 yr old at the time), the stroller (gate check), the car seat (Mrs. Paymaster insists that it will somehow protect him if the plane crashes), our carry-ons and our boarding passes. We were pre-boarding, but in the hustle with all the stuff, and Paymaster Jr. fussing and running off, we actually got on the plane without the gate attendant scanning & collecting our boarding passes. One week later, we try to check in for our return flight, and the airline tells us that our ticket has been cancelled. The reason? "You didn't take your departing flight from SMF, so that automatically triggers the cancelation of your return ticket." I spent a good 45 mins arguing with the airline. The woman at the counter kept stating that there was nothing she could do (lie- there is always a solution) and trying to help the next person in line. Finally they caved in an gave us a new ticket. And that was with just one kid. Another couple of months, we will have two. I don't even want to think about the idea of airline travel... __________________ "eh, take your opinion and shove it... somewhere else other than this thread" ~ welfareloser

05-16-2008, 02:10 PM	#6
cheapie Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: raising my pimp hand strong Posts: 13,038	you need to REALLY cut down on the stuff you carry on board if you want to have a good time traveling with kids. i fly with my 3 semi-often and the boys have their backpacks with books, i have my backpack w/a dvd player, food, etc., and we might have an umbrella stroller with us. def NO car seat. my wife has her purse w/a blanket, diapers, and maybe a snack. makes it MUCH easier than dealing with the kids and a crapload of stuff to put away on the plane. __________________ 70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders

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05-20-2008, 02:23 PM	#8
nate el bueno Spawn of Markel Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: IL Posts: 1,246	yep, been there done that.

05-21-2008, 03:50 PM	#11
cheapie Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: raising my pimp hand strong Posts: 13,038	heh. you can't convince her otherwise?

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