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Continental Airlines apologized after admitting that "miscommunication among staff members resulted in the child being boarded on the wrong aircraft." Jonathan Kamens had taken daughter Miriam, 10, to Boston's Logan Airport and explicitly spoke to Continental agents about Miriam's solo trip to Cleveland to visit her grandparents, "They seemed like they knew what they were doing. The paperwork" had her flight number, destination, and phone numbers for himself and his in-laws. But Miriam ended up at Newark International Airport, not Cleveland, because the gate was being used by two different flights and the girl was put on the wrong flight. Kamens said he only found out that Miriam never made it to Cleveland as scheduled when his father-in-law called—and Continental couldn't tell him where his daughter was for 45 minutes. While Continental rebooked Miriam on another flight and she made it there a few hours later, her dad questions the airline's procedures, "I'm sure there are rules that the flight crew is supposed to verify the number of people on the plane matches the number of people on the manifest."
Continental Sends 10-Year-Old To Newark, Not Cleveland
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Didn't get a notification from NYC, but I hear low-flying planes in Midtown Manhattan.
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Contentinental?
Contentinental?
Newark. Cleveland. Which is worse?
She just needs to hit Pittsburgh for the post-industrial, post-apocalyptic trifecta.
wow, you're such a snob, you don't even know where the real burned-out cities are.
go back to fort greene and eat your arugula-laced green tea with your vegan wrap and feel good about how you're saving america and the environment.
This is one of the best comments of the month.
why would you let your 10 year old fly solo?
why.
I started flying solo to France every summer to visit my grandparents, at age 5. It was lots of fun. Never had any problems.
You're a "won't somebody please think of the children" ninny.
Did your parents accompany you to the gate? I was thinking about how non-travelers (people wishing people good-bye or waiting to greet people) used to be able to go to the gate back in the day. In this scenario, the dad could only take his daughter up till security checkpoint.
When I was a brat traveling I remember when switching planes, airline officials took care of everything. Yeah my folks took us to the gate but in between they took care of us, even driving us in a kart from one gate to our connecting gate.
But then again this was Eastern Airlines. Oh how times have changed.
No, at the check-in counter I was greeted by a stewardess who went through security with me and brought me to my gate. I also had a UM (unaccompanied minor) thing that held my ticket, boarding pass and passport, like the one this girl has.
It doesn't really matter if the parents go to the gate or the security checkpoint--either way, the kid is handed over to an airline representative, who is supposed to stay with the kid until they're physically on the plane and in the care of the flight crew. And then once the plane lands the kid is met at the airplane door by another representative, who is supposed to stay with them until their family/guardians collect them.
There's nothing wrong with kids flying alone. I did it myself too, and I was fine.
Parents or other adults who bring unaccompanied minors to the airport or pick them up can get special passes so they can go through security to the gates.
From what I understand about the airline industry, the big screw-up in this case, the sort of thing that may get some people into hot water, is not so much "losing" the girl but failing to ensure that the passenger count matched the manifest. That's considered a very serious omission.
haha nice.
im no ninny. i dont trust people. And this article doesn't help me believe otherwise. I don't agree with the idea to let a young child go on a flight by him/herself. That is just me.
still laughing at the clip though.
Fifteen years ago my wife and I "shipped" off our two sons on a United flight to Chicago and the airline had a special representative escort them to the gate and on arrival had another representative meet them. Obviously the times they have been a changing.
Do they still serve free delicious and wholesome meals on planes, or is it just pretzels and peanuts with a warm soda? What's the average age of a stewardess?
Because maybe both parents work?
Because buying 2 round trip tickets to make sure she gets there and back is too much money?
Because the airline clearly accepts the responsibility?
Are you really asking this question or are you having your butler write this out for you?
seriously ANGRYGOD11?
what crawled up your ass?
Your comment implied it's nothing for parents to always be around, at all costs, to travel with their children. That's not practical nor affordable for most people, even the wealthy who work.
"I don't agree with the idea to let a young child go on a flight by him/herself. That is just me."
where did I imply that "it's NOTHING for parents to always be around, at all costs, to travel with their children. That's not practical nor affordable for most people, even the wealthy who work."
Of course it's not practical but I was just stating my opinion and I have that right. I did not attack anyone's opinions or shared experiences like you did.
All I did was question the idea because I never knew anyone that had done this when they were young nor do I know anyone that does this with their own kids.
Hence "WHY"?
Take a chill pill ANGRYGOD...
You asked twice in your comment WHY would anyone send a 10 year old fly alone.
You made it sound insane.
Even if you were have never been in an airport in your life, you must know airfare isn't free, parents cannot always travel with their children and airlines must help those who need help by law.
Your original comment sounded to much like LET THEM EAT CAKE.
If I offended you, too freaking bad. Don't be so sensitive. It's just a blog.
"Don't be so sensitive. It's just a blog."
You should take your own advice.
i used to love flying alone when i was a kid, cause then i could smoke.
I flew alone around age 5 and it was great - sat right up front, got to see the cockpit, and had some nifty pin identifying me as a kid they needed to watch. My memory is hazy, but I think there were several of us solo-fliers on the flight.
Did the pilot ever ask you if you've ever seen gladiator movies?
We take my niece with us on summer holidays. She lives in NC and will connect with the 4 of us in Houston to go to Hawaii this summer. She's never had a problem and we always travel Continental. They have a very clearly defined policy and I've always felt mishaps like this were unlikely. I can only guess that one or several of the staff involved was a complete dunderheads. They place unaccompanied minors on the plane first and deplane them last so they don't get lost in any shuffles. The people involved should be terminated from service because this is absolutley unacceptable and can not be tolerated by a carrier.
I think when she travels this way, there's a bracelet they give her which identifies her as a UAM. Without one of these, you can't get into the UAM waiting area, where she can wait between connections, etc. The whole thing is well thought through, jsut that this was a moron.
I think when she travels this way, there's a bracelet they give her which identifies her as a UAM. Without one of these, you can't get into the UAM waiting area, where she can wait between connections, etc. The whole thing is well thought through, jsut that this was a moron.
I think when she travels this way, there's a bracelet they give her which identifies her as a UAM. Without one of these, you can't get into the UAM waiting area, where she can wait between connections, etc. The whole thing is well thought-through, just that this was a moron.
I think when she travels this way, there's a bracelet they give her which identifies her as a UAM. Without one of these, you can't get into the UAM waiting area, where she can wait between connections, etc. The whole thing is well thought-through, just that this was a moron.
disclaimer: continental will not be responsible for lost or stolen children. take care of your own damn kids. thank you for your cooperation.
"I'm sure there are rules that the flight crew is supposed to verify the number of people on the plane matches the number of people on the manifest."
There are, and you see attendants counting passengers before a flight. However this method (obviously?) does not guarantee that the right people are on the right plane.
Not blaming her in any way, but did the kid say anything?
Yes. She said, "You ain't nothing but a waitress in the sky."
Where is her guardian?
The simple idea that Continental never thought twice about an extra passenger is alarming. Osama, can you hear me? Jot this down!
the girl probably had her "walkman" on a la home alone 2 and missed the newark destination announcement "what city is that over there?".. "thats new york sir"
I can see her ending up in Newark. Isn't that Continental's home base? But isn't there a direct flight from Boston to Cleveland? Not that anyone would really want to go to Cleveland, neither from Boston or any other civilized city, with or without grandparents. Where exactly in Jersey is Cleveland located?
The kid was flying direct from Boston to Cleveland. The gate was being used for two separate flights to Cleveland and Newark and the kid made it onto the wrong plane.
Actually, Continental has a major hub at Cleveland, with several non-stop daily flights to/from Boston. Shoulda been a no-brainer to get this kid safely to Cleveland from Boston.
I too have a question: is that a photo of a young Lindsay Lohan?
why would you let your 10 year old fly solo? why.
It's not uncommon practice and it's something parents have been doing for decades. Parents do it because airlines have been strict on the rules and always (not in this case) watch and help the children.
I am not a parent nor do I know parents that have done this with their own kids so I've never really heard about this "common" practice. I understand in SOME circumstances why they do this but when I read this article I immediately just thought why make them go by themselves at such a young age? How much responsibility does the airline have?
10 years is old enough for a child to have some basic level of independence. We're not talking about an infant flying alone here, and we're talking about a flight that is something like an hour and a half long.
As others have mentioned, there are many valid reasons why a kid would need to fly alone. There are pages and pages of paperwork that have to be filled out before a child can fly as an unaccompanied minor, and it's normally taken very very seriously by the airlines. Frankly, your child is probably more likely to be lost, hurt or forgotten on a school bus than she is on an airplane.
it depends on the kid. if he or she has flown a lot before, flying alone at 10 is no big deal. i think i went on my first alone flight at 7. it was fine.
We live in a society that is being increasingly infantilized. As a child I did not happen to fly, but on several occasions at the ages of 9 and 10 and up, I was put on a train going from New York to Norwalk, and vice versa, without being murdered or winding up in Oshkosh. I was sufficiently capable of processing language to recognize the word "Norwalk" when written on signs or spoken and got off the train at the correct stop. Likewise, I used the New York City subway. Now, people are bent all out of shape over some 9-year-old using the subway, as if a 9-year-old is a totally incompetent idiot. In fact, I understand that out in the hinterland children can't even wait for the school bus any more without two or three mommies and maybe a daddy or two overseeing them at the bus stop. I thank God I grew up before The Fear came down.
I flew solo a lot as a child, as young as probably 9 or 10 as well.
Though this was on TWA, and was a different era in air travel, even though it was just 17 years ago. IIRC, my parents were able to select whether or not I needed a guardian at the airport. When I was younger, I was met at security by an airline representative, who took me to a room specifically for unaccompanied minors, where I waited until flight time. Similarly, I was met at my destination, and escorted to baggage claim. When I got older, my parents didn't request this anymore, and I was free to roam the airport.
Isn't the flight attendant supposed to make an announcement before taxing that states the flight # and destination? Shouldn't the girl have heard this, or was she too busy jamming to the Jonas Bros. on her iPod?
The worst was navigating O'Hare as a kid because I was switching airlines, not just flights. But aside from the fear and the hassles, this kid might have enjoyed the extra flying...
Doesn't UPS go to Cleveland? Depending on the child's weight it might be cheaper and UPS is a very dependable company. They guarantee overnight delivery by ten in the morning and they deliver the goods.
Actually a sub-contractor, Ohio Parcel delivers to Cleveland, but only to populated zip codes. Residents of the bombed-out vacant areas are encouraged to pick up their packages at the Euclid Ave. bus shelter at 96th St.
"residents of the bombed out vacant areas"?
If the areas are "vacant", how can they have "residents"?
If there are residents, by definition those areas are not vacant!
I guess it kind of works like a motel where there is a "vacancy" sign and it's lit.
Also: More like, incontinental
Why would a reasonable parent send a 10-year old on a flight by herself? Could the circumstances have been that compelling? There are just too many potential dangers involved, both on the plane and off. Not worth the risk for the convenience. I wonder if the parents gave her instructions to check with a flight attendant pre-flight that that is in fact the right plane? Just because an airline CAN do it doesn't mean that it should be done. And just because it can be done successfully doesn't make it a prescription. Why would you delegate your guardianship duties to an airline? And if sh*t happens, then you just have to suck it up and accept it. Gotta be outta your mucking finds.
Actually not out of your mucking minds. The airlines, at least when they had somewhat intelligent people, could easily accommodate younger unaccompanied passengers with passenger representatives. Now they will probably call them passenger advocates, associates, delegates, blah blah blah. None of them would know the difference between scrambled and poached eggs. That is where the problem lies.
The choice lies in either, make work welfare recipients or machines? I would chose the machines.
That's the whole issue: the parents paid the airline an extra fee so the child would NOT be left to fend for herself. The child is supposed to be accompanied by an airline employee. This one obviously dropped the ball.
Was this whole mishap a racial vendetta thing?
i thought that image was little lindsay lohan.