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Super Contributor
Posts: 1,057
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

A Denver family is angry at an airline they say lost their diabetic and slightly forgetful mother/></span></a>.</p> <p>The airline, Southwest, admits it could have handled the situation better.</p> <p> </p> <p>The recent <a rel= trip/></span></a> to the East Coast for Alice Vaticano, 85, to visit her daughter turned into a bit of a marathon.</p> <p> </p> <p>She says her daughter took her to the Newark Airport, where a skycap promised to wheel her directly to her gate. Her daughter didn’t obtain clearance to go to the concourse with her.</p> <p> </p> <p>But somehow Vaticano got parked and forgotten.</p> <p> </p> <p>“She pushed me there and left me,” Vaticano said. “I was just sitting all day in a wheelchair.”</p> <p>She missed her flight, and her other daughter in Denver went into panic mode when she didn’t see her mom getting off the plane at Denver <a rel= International/></span></a></p> <p><br/> “Where was she?” her daughter Donna Vaticano told CBS4 in Denver. “What happened to her? <strong>These are people’s jobs. Who is supposed to be paying attention?”</strong></p> <p><br/> A Southwest spokesperson said the skycaps in Newark are not actual airline employees. They are just workers who are assigned to <a rel= help/></span></a> individual airlines.</p> <p> http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/08/26/family-angry-after-it-says-airline-lost-aging-mother/</p> <p> </p> <p>Is it really a good idea to expect airline personnel - or skycaps - to be responsible for aging parents or unaccompanied children?</p> <p>In the case of children or ambulatory older adults, does someone sit with them while they wait so that they don't wander off and get lost?</p> <p>Is there an extra charge for this?</p> <p><strong><br/></strong></p>

Super Contributor
Posts: 437
Registered: ‎11-08-2012

Her daughter didn’t obtain clearance to go to the concourse with her.

Too much trouble to park, obtain clearance and ensure mom got on the plane. Better to hand mom off to a complete stranger and go shopping.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,126
Registered: ‎06-20-2010

If I had an 85 year old forgetful mother, I would make sure she got on that plane. I wouldn't leave it up to somebody else.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,047
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I bet she daughter didn't have a ticket, so she probably could not get past security TO get into the area to see if her mom got on the plane or not. Just assuming here.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,045
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Poor lady...how awful.

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Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,126
Registered: ‎06-20-2010

If that's somebody's job to make sure a passenger in their care is supposed to get on that plane, then they should make sure that person gets on that plane.

Super Contributor
Posts: 1,057
Registered: ‎03-10-2010
On 8/26/2014 Cranberries said:

I bet she daughter didn't have a ticket, so she probably could not get past security TO get into the area to see if her mom got on the plane or not. Just assuming here.

I don't know that you have to have a ticket. The article mentioned "obtaining clearance" to go to the gate with her.

I've seen parents put their minor children on the plane and then leave the boarding area.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,047
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

They don't let you past the gates, past the TSA without a ticket. They don't just let people come and go that way anymore.

eta, at least not in my experience, but when I flew younger as a child my parents were allowed to watch us board and take off.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,713
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

They still let you get a special pass to accompany someone to the gate; I've done it for an unaccompanied minor, I did it a few years ago with my MIL in a wheelchair. Once they even gave me a special pass without asking, when I was taking my husband to his flight to AFG.(also at Newark Airport).

Anyway - the woman should have not been lazy and dropped off her mother at the curb. SW didn't 'lose' her mother.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,047
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I agree, she shouldn't have just stuck mom in a wheelchair, leave, assuming whoever was going to get her mom to the gate. I just wonder why she could not get clearance to go past the gate? Maybe some more info will come out.