A worried mother in New York hasn’t stopped crying since she found out an airline sent her five-year-old son to the wrong city. JetBlue associates mistook her son for another boy, and both children got sent to the wrong cities. JetBlue is in big trouble over this.
On August 17, Maribel Martinez was expecting her son to arrive at Kennedy Airport on Long Island, in New York, when they presented the wrong child to her. It took three hours for the airline to locate her child, Andy Martinez Mercado.
She told New York Daily News:
“I thought he was kidnapped. I thought I would never see him again.”
The airline sent Andy to Boston instead of the other boy. Martinez hired high-profile lawyer Sanford Rubenstein to handle the family legal issues against JetBlue.
Andy had been in the Dominican Republic with relatives. He was wearing a wristband.
Rubenstein said:
“Any parent can understand the terrifying fear a mother goes through knowing that her child is missing. This never should have happened and the JetBlue employees should be ashamed of themselves.”
JetBlue said this in a statement:
“Upon learning of the error, our teams in JFK and Boston immediately took steps to assist the children in reaching their correct destinations. While the children were always under the care and supervision of JetBlue crew members, we realize this situation was distressing for their families.”
A JetBlue spokeswoman said:
“Two unaccompanied children of the same age traveling separately from Santiago, Dominican Republic, one to New York JFK and one to Boston — each boarded a flight to the incorrect destination. Upon learning of the error, our teams in JFK and Boston immediately took steps to assist the children in reaching their correct destinations. While the children were always under the care and supervision of JetBlue crew members, we realize this situation was distressing for their families.”
I don’t understand how this could happen. Obviously, someone along the way royally screwed up this trip.
Here is a news clip about the story:
https://youtu.be/6r-Uf2JWypo
Featured image via YouTube screenshot.
