A mother was left in panic after waiting at Kennedy Airport for her 5-year-old son's return flight from the Dominican Republic, only to be presented with a total stranger who JetBlue officials thought was her child. The New York Daily News reported Maribel Martinez spent an agonizing three hours fearing her son had been kidnapped. Her child, Andy Martinez Mercado, was eventually located more than 200 miles away in Boston.
"Any parent can understand the terrifying fear a mother goes through knowing that her child is missing," Sanford Rubenstein, a lawyer who is now representing Martinez, told the Daily News. "This never should have happened, and the JetBlue employees should be ashamed of themselves." Rubinstein and Martinez are now planning to take legal action against JetBlue.
So what the hell happened? According to a statement from JetBlue released Wednesday, two children of the same age were traveling separately from Santiago to JFK and Boston, respectively, when they each boarded the wrong flight. "Upon learning of the error, our teams in JFK and Boston immediately took steps to assist the children in reaching their correct destinations," a JetBlue spokesperson said. Martinez, however, says she has yet to receive a formal apology or even an explanation for the terrifying mistake.
The airline refunded $475 for the ticket and gave Martinez $2,100 in flight credit, something Martinez told the Daily News is worthless because they'll never use JetBlue again. The other child, who arrived in Andy's place on Aug. 17, despite Martinez having paid the $100 fee required to have a JetBlue rep escort an unaccompanied minor, was safely returned to Boston.
Sadly, the airline's grave error is vaguely reminiscent of a crucial plot point in the 1992 holiday classic Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. You know, the movie we all annually laugh at because that exact plot point is so ridiculous it could never happen in real life! Right?
Take this L, JetBlue.
