Julien Reed is a 9 year old boy. He woke up at 3am at his father's house in San Francisco for a 6am flight to travel to Ottawa to see his mom. His flight landed in Chicago at around 11:30 a.m. His connecting flight was scheduled to depart at 1:45pm. An employee led him to a waiting area for children traveling alone and the boy never saw him again.
The boy was told his flight was delayed. That was pretty much the last conversation an employee had with him. Luckily he did have a cell phone with him and called his mom to tell her he was delayed. When the boy's flight did take off, no one from the airline told him or came to get him and when his mom showed up at the airport in Ottawa her son was not on the plane. She called him and he said no one ever came to get him.
At this point he was crying and his mom made him give the phone to an employee who said that "She was totally flustered and angry and upset that her day was being ruined by these awful children. I spoke to my son again, and he was in tears."
The airline finally got him on a flight that landed in Ottawa at 11pm. And what did the family get for their trouble? Nothing according to the mom. The airline says they refunded the $100 service charge for handling minors. United does not seem all that concerned about this. I think they should be. You would think for $100 they could watch a kid for a couple of hours. Instead of cutting back on employees in that area, perhaps they should hire a person or two more. At $100 a pop, I think they could afford to pay a couple of people to be there all day and coordinate flights. It does not seem that hard. Can you imagine if he did not have a cell phone with him. The kid could still be there.
Sounds like typical airline service these days. :(
ReplyDeleteOh, and someone needs to get sued for child endangerment. I'm not sue-happy, but they aren't going to learn their lesson any other way.
ReplyDeleteIf that lady who fell asleep on the airplane sued, than so should this lady. You can't leave a little one alone like that, especially in an airport. What if someone kidnapped and killed him? Then the airline would be in the shits.
ReplyDeleteThe child holding cell, er, room in Chicago O'Hare is pretty secure. My granddaughter has been penned, er, waited there several times. The trick is to never have a child go through Chicago. Their flights are always late. I am surprised no one paid any attention to the manifest and noticed a stray child was missing. I say sue.
ReplyDeleteNon-stop or nada.
ReplyDeleteI don't trust 'em.
If they are not going to ensure the safety of the child then don't offer the damned service. It is that simple. I say sue as well.
ReplyDeleteITA with the Mother. I read that, in her opinion, she thought that the airplane was full and that the employee's forgot the child on purpose. Because you know, it's much easier to forget a child, than to have to tell an irate adult that the plane is full and they cannot board.. Just sayin'
ReplyDeleteThis is why I would never give in to my MIL's requests to send my kid to them w/o us.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Katja. My children were always accompanied by me or my ex when they travelled for visitation. Inconvenience? Yes. But my kids were (and still are, as adults) worth it.
ReplyDelete"She was totally flustered and angry and upset that her day was being ruined by these awful children."
ReplyDeleteI can imagine an airline employee being upset and flustered (wouldn't you be if an irate parent was rightfully reaming you for forgetting their child in a waiting room?) but I find it hard to believe that she told the boy's mother that her day was being ruined by those "awful children". That just doesn't ring true. (and for the record, I dislike children intensely, they sometimes ruin my day and I have bitched about it to friends but would never address it with a parent; that's like poking a big bear with a sharp stick.)
The airlines should have a designated employee checking the holding rooms every 20-30 minutes. Or put all the names and flight info of the traveling children on a clipboard. Jeez, how hard is it?
I'm more upset with their lack of sense and due dilligence than anything else. How do you forget about a kid? And, on the heels of that, if you can forget about a kid, then how exactly are you going to be able to stop any would-be terrorists? What a wreck.
ReplyDeleteIt's my impression, there is a United employee in the waiting area. (Correct me if I am wrong.) What upset me was the lack of food or drinks for the kids waiting. My poor granddaughter was stuck in the place for 6 hours once.
ReplyDeleteyou know how many people are blaming the mother for this? i was so pissed off reading the comment on the Province about this.
ReplyDeletei give the kid props, he's fuckin savvy for 9yo and seems more alert than most travelers 3x his age.
It is a MAJOR issue to forget a child that is considered an UM (Unaccompanied Minor)in any airport. there is supposed to be someone with them at all times ensuring their safety as well as their travel itinerary.
Major FAIL for the airline.
also i don't know about US airlines but i believe (it may have changed since i was in school)in CAD they cannot bump an UM for any reason short of mechanical failure.
ReplyDelete@jax, people are blaming the MOTHER??? that is a load of crock!
ReplyDeletei am an army brat, and my siblings and i had to travel a lot as Unaccompanied Minors and i will say this: american airlines NEVER once left us alone, holding area or no... granted, i am now 29 years old and that was ages ago, but back then they didnt charge for that convenience! not one penny... AND AA always upgraded us to business/first class, gave us treats and airplane pins
i say SUE
@jax, people are blaming the MOTHER??? that is a load of crock!
ReplyDeletei am an army brat, and my siblings and i had to travel a lot as Unaccompanied Minors and i will say this: american airlines NEVER once left us alone, holding area or no... granted, i am now 29 years old and that was ages ago, but back then they didnt charge for that convenience! not one penny... AND AA always upgraded us to business/first class, gave us treats and airplane pins
i say SUE
This is just awful. I get frustrated when I get forgotten in a doctor's office - that poor kid. I agree with everyone who says: SUE
ReplyDeleteUnited Airlines is generally terrible. I do everything I can to avoid flying with them. I find their employees sour nearly 100% of the time.
ReplyDeleteHmmm.... the original article doesn't mention anything about him crying at all.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38419995/ns/travel-news/
It almost sounds like he was a pretty mature little 9-year-old.
He was left there for about 8 hours. He said he kept watching the same two movies over and over. At first when he spoke to his mom he told her that the flight was delayed because that's what he was told however of course that flight had taken off and, well after that... you know the rest.
ReplyDeleteUnited does generally suck and I have to fly with them this Friday. I dread it. American use to be pretty great with UM. I don't know if they still are. It seems all airlines now are really, really horrible. It's like they try to see how awful they can treat their customers. I'm not one to encourage people to sue, but it seems like that's the only thing that gets a business's attention these days. Sue, mom and dad, sue.
ReplyDeletewatch how many pedophiles apply to work at United Airlines now.
ReplyDeleteIt's a molesters buffet to have a gaggle of kids wrangled in one area and unsupervised like that.
Scary stuff.
I won't fly United unless forced. In fact, if it's not Southwest, I'm usually not happy with the on-time take off/arrival, customer service, etc.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I'm afraid my opinion is not going to be very popular. Just wondering why it is United Airlines' responsibility to babysit a kid whose parents are too cheap to either get a non-stop flight or, in the case this is unavailable, fly with him. I would never ever send my kids alone on an airplane with the expectation that it is the airline's responsibility to watch his every move and guarantee he gets everywhere he needs to be -- on an international flight, no less. That's what a *parent's* job is. Why do parents get upset when no one else cares as much about their precious child as they do?
ReplyDeleteTo me this boils down to that sense of entitlement that most humans seem to have these days. "I bought an airline ticket for my 9 year old and I'm ENTITLED to have someone follow him across the continent to ensure his safety." I completely disagree. Team United Airlines.
@chopchop - I totally see where you're coming from, but the fact is that the parents paid EXTRA for this service that United provides. If they're not willing to provide the service, they shouldn't offer it.
ReplyDelete@chopchop It is becoming harder and harder to find a non-stop flight from anywhere to anywhere. Believe me, my husband and I fly fairly often, and non-stops are becoming more and more rare. Plus, United does offer an Unaccompanied Minor program, which the parents purchased in good faith. It isn't always possible to travel with your kids, especially in a shared custody relationship where the parents live far from one another.
ReplyDelete@RQ, that's true. If the airline cannot provide the Unaccompanied Minor service, they shouldn't be offering it. That being said, I would find it very hard to trust complete strangers with my children for a $100 fee.
ReplyDeletechopchop, United offers a SERVICE for which they are COMPENSATED by parents. Someone, presumably, is paid to oversee unaccompanied minors, and was not doing his/her job.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't handle your job, find something less onerous to do.
I hate to say this, but neither party is 100% guilty.
ReplyDeleteThe mom raised a mature boy, able to concentrate and do what's right to help his situation.
The airlines have been forced to cut back (thanks to everyone who DEMANDS great service for the lowest price). They may have dropped the ball, but it doesn't indicate a system-wide failure.
No one can admit mistakes, or apologize, since that would ensure losing a lawsuit. The employees follow policy, set up by lawyers who gauge public sentiment. SUE THEM causes more cutbacks and layoffs.
We have all changed. Maybe we should be willing to pay more for better service.
Thank God the boy is safe and that he doesn't fear doing "grown-up" things. Cool kid.
I couldn't trust my kid with an airline employee either. I guess mom won't do that the next time around.
ReplyDeleteI see all the different points on this, but I have to say I would be extremely reluctant to have my non-existent 9-year-old kid fly by himself and leave it in the hands of the airline morons to make sure he gets to where he needs to go safely. There are so many places that kids aren't allowed to go unaccompanied by an adult. I would think an airport would be one of those places.
ReplyDeletePerhaps United shouldn't offer the program. It sounds very risky unless you have really good people running it.
Jim B, interesting take.
ReplyDeletethis isn't a service you just pay $100 and hand your kid over. it involves several legal docs, consent from BOTH parents and several pieces of ID from the person picking up and dropping off the UM. most times depending on the amount of kids per plane a flight attendant is assigned to that UM specifically for the duration of the flight to ensure safety and comfort. they are NEVER meant to left on their own.
ReplyDeleteTHIS was an epic fail.
^^^^ Amen to that, Jax!!
ReplyDeleteNah...I stand by my opinion.
ReplyDeletei actually went to school for this type of stuff years a go,so once i know what i'm bitching about.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this ended up well--shudder to think about what could happen. I fly Delta quite often--mostly ok, but I don't think any of them are "good." At least not the US airlines.
ReplyDeleteamen @Jax
ReplyDelete@xodettex - I was an Airforce brat. My dad always flew us kids to see grandparents on what he call Teenie Weenie Airlines (i.e. TWA) they were great with us kids, but the fact is it was a different time then as well. Still, like I said earlier, if you can't provide the service as advertised, than don't offer it.
jeez, you need to calm down, m'kay? i see you are starting back up! stop being aggressive.
ReplyDeleteJax,
ReplyDeleteI think you have a point, but my kids have traveled as UM's, with paperwork that said the airline is NOT responsible to watch over them, but to be a guide (hopefully, to a waiting car or parent in the luggage area). For $100, no one can be expected to sit with them for 6 or 8 hours.
Mom should pay for a direct flight, perhaps. Connections are tricky for the savviest of traveler.
The airline might have done better to seat the kid with a stationery employee, but they don't have to.
Maybe the airlines should offer nanny service for $100/hr. That MIGHT cover salary, insurance, first aid, food service, emergency care....LIABILITY.
My only beef with airlines is excessive (more than 15 mins) tarmac sitting. No excuse for not providing air, A/C, water, open doors. Pending legislation will help.
cracker jacks why don't you go back to you Enty IS A Fraud blog and leave the adults to play...we ALL fucking know who you are and that you use the same profile for your various names.not so smart,honey. YOUR ARGUMENTS ARE OLD AND FROM 3 YEARS AGO.
ReplyDeleteno one cares, get over it and move on already. if you can't handle simple discussion this isn't the place for you.
sorry,everyone...now back to gossip.
Jim, i can understand that,but the laws may be different there in the USA vs Canada. Not sure how this works when it's cross-border.
ReplyDeleteno, dipshit. you must be in a bitchy mood today, and i'm here to keep you in check! and you have NO idea who i am. you are not very smart, and i only have one profile that is not to be viewed. your opinion matters just as much as the next!
ReplyDeletei like this blog just fine, so now back to the gossip. GO SMOKE A JOINT!
oh, btw. when did you start using capitalizations in your sentences? whose profile did you switch from?
ReplyDeleteKnow what jax? I apologize. It's true I use various names to tell people what they should and should not write here, when in fact I'm guilty of doing the exact same thing. Name calling just makes me look even worse.
ReplyDeleteI'm done.
I never go through the Chicago airport, it's a total nightmare.
ReplyDeleteIf it was my kid, I'd be livid if something like this happened.
ReplyDeleteBut, I also would not have booked the kid on a flight that transferred in Chicago. That is just a bad idea altogether.
at 2:26, i like that assuming someone else's name. thanks, melody the first, i'll take this name now!
ReplyDeleteand yes, I post mean things to other posters I don't like because my life is very empty otherwise. So??
ReplyDeleteat 2:45, last one. my life is equally empty just like yours. muah! see you 'round the next time!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, there are no direct flights from SFO to Ottawa. It's usually a stopover through Chicago or Toronto via Air Canada. IMO the parents should have bought him a ticket on Air Canada and had him stopover in Toronto since there are flights every hour from Pearson to Ottawa during business days. Flying through O'Hare is crazy and full of delays, but United Airlines workers should have been on their toes and looked out for this child who was in their care. This is terrible PR for United.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the others that it's a fail on the airline. I remember flying as a UM quite a bit as a kid & nothing like that ever happened to me. In fact they were overly doting. Just goes to show you how poor the customer service in the airline industry is. Poor kid! He handled that well. As an adult I try to not fly unless I get non-stop so I can imagine how confusing it was for him.
ReplyDeleteyes yes, I will run along now. It really sucks to be given a taste of my own medicine and I intend to not think at all about my actions cause I'm selfish like that.
ReplyDeleteThis is just heinous! How bloody hard is it to make sure a child gets on their plane. Who cares about the extra money they paid, it's one of those things you just do as a human being.
ReplyDeleteI smell a lawsuit. Dear god, I'm not going to fly United until they come out with an apology and make this right. Inexcusable!
I'm from Ottawa and it's true, there are not a lot of direct flights from anywhere.
ReplyDeleteI once flew to Vegas and passed through O'Hare. I only had 50 minutes and I was terrified but everything went smoothly. I did have the best hot dog of my life there.
United doesn't take good care of guitars either :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
Seriously though, human decency should have had the employees watching out for that child, regardless of the money paid.
@anita_mark I had a fab hot dog at o'Hare too! I knew that was a super dog and not just my imagination-lol!
ReplyDeleteI'm appalled at United. Sue them! Corporate America sucks. So glad I'll be out of there soon.
ReplyDeleteHere is another outrageous story of United Airlines treating people crappy, in this case a young woman with a back injury: http://evilpuppy.livejournal.com/365126.html
ReplyDeleteI've read her story and was so annoyed with these people.
I talked to someone who works for British Airways, and he didn't seem surprised; stuff like this happens all the time.
ReplyDelete