JetBlue sends 2 children to wrong destinations
NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - A 5-year-old boy from Manhattan and another child from Boston are finally home where they belong. Both unaccompanied children were traveling to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic last month when JetBlue says they boarded the wrong fights and ended up in the wrong cities.
This happened despite JetBlue crew members being assigned to supervise the children.
Maribel Martinez was shocked when JetBlue staffers presented her with another little boy on Aug. 17 at Kennedy Airport.
Her lawyer says that child was carrying her son's passport but was supposed to be traveling to Boston. Instead, Martinez's son, Andy, was sent to Logan Airport.
JetBlue is reviewing how the mix-up occurred. In a statement to Fox5NY.com JetBlue states: "On August 17, 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 crewmembers, we realize this situation was distressing for the families. In addition to extending our apologies, we refunded the flights and offered the families credit towards future JetBlue flights. We are also reviewing the incident with our leadership and Santiago airport team to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future."
Attorney Sanford Rubenstein is holding a news conference Thursday with the mother of Andy Martinez, the boy who ended up in Boston.
Rubenstein says, "Any parent can understand the terrifying feeling of fear a mother goes through knowing her young child is missing. This should never have happened. Jet Blue's employees should be ashamed of themselves. Appropriate legal action will be instituted."
With the Associated Press