In a lawsuit that was recently filed, a mom from Florida claims she entrusted American Airlines with getting her two unaccompanied minor sons to their destination safely, but the airline allegedly mistreated the 10- and 12-year-old boys instead, and now they are afraid to fly again.
According to multiple outlets, including the New York Post, the boys, identified in the suit at RV and JV, were traveling from Missouri to New York, with a planned layover in North Carolina. A delayed flight turned into a canceled flight, and according to mom Amber Vencill, American Airlines left the kids to fend for themselves in an airport without food or water. Now, she wants the airline to pay.
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Vencill says she paid a fee to the airline to take care of her sons.
According to her complaint, Vencill allegedly paid $150 to use American Airlines’ unaccompanied minor service. This is a required fee for all travelers aged 5 to 14 traveling without a parent or guardian. It is paid in addition to the ticket price. American Airlines outlines the service on its website and claims it includes early boarding, kids-only lounges in hub cities for flight connections, and snack and activity kits.
The website also states, “Keep in mind, our flight attendants will be busy with onboard duties and can’t continuously monitor your child during their flight. Let your child know to ring the call button if they need anything.”
Things reportedly started out OK for Vencill’s kids, but a flight delay allegedly caused an issue.
Vencill claims her boys flew from Missouri to Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 30, 2022, for their layover. But the flight to Syracuse, New York, was delayed and then canceled. According to the lawsuit, American Airlines called Vencill’s partner, Ted, who was supposed to pick the boys up in New York, to explain what had happened. The airline allegedly told him the boys would be taken to a “nice room for unaccompanied minors where there were beds and their own bathroom,” according to the suit.
Additionally, “Ted was also provided with a telephone number that was supposed to be a direct line to where the children would be,” according to the document.
Per the airline’s website, they are trained to deal with travel issues.
The website states in case of a delay or cancelation, it will make accommodations to care for any minors.
“We’ll call the contacts on the unaccompanied minor form and arrange an alternate flight if your child is unable to make a connecting flight due to delays or cancellations. In the rare case that your child needs to stay overnight because of a missed connection, we’ll arrange for overnight accommodations, meals and supervision. We’ll call if this occurs," the site reads.
Vencill told Inside Edition that didn’t happen. She said her sons told her they were put in a cold room on a sofa with the lights on all night. And according to the lawsuit, they weren’t given any food, water, blankets, or other comforts.
According to the lawsuit, a Charlotte’s Douglas International Airport employee helped the children.
Vencill alleges American Airlines did nothing to help her kids, but an employee from the airport gave her children food and water before they finally got onto a flight to Syracuse the next day. When Vencill contacted the airline to complain, American Airlines allegedly didn't give much help.
The lawsuit states what's “particularly offensive is that after learning of their clear failures, defendant merely offered a hollow apology and a refund, in essence telling plaintiff, sorry we lost your kids lady but here is your money back.”
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American Airlines allegedly did not investigate.
The lawsuit claims that American Airlines did nothing to investigate how the incident happened and put no safeguards in place to ensure it wouldn't happen again.
“Such callous disregard for the well-being of plaintiff’s children and for plaintiff who was distraught for hours worrying about her children and received no meaningful information as to her sons’ whereabouts except that they were allegedly last seen at Charlotte Airport is simply shameful and plaintiffs are entitled to punitive damages,” the suit says.
The airline told the New York Post in a statement that it values its customers’ satisfaction.
“The safety and comfort of our customers, including unaccompanied minors in our care, are our highest priorities and we’re committed to providing a positive experience to everyone who travels with us,” the statement reads.
Vencill is seeking unspecified damages.
