Canadian parents are outraged after their 14-year-old daughter was kicked off a flight due to a “weight imbalance” leaving her helpless and stranded.
Camryn Larkan, 14, of Victoria, was travelling home from Toronto after visiting a friend when she was suddenly asked by a flight attendant to collect her bags and exit the plane.
“I was kind of confused,” she said. CBC“I thought I was going to go back to my seat. I thought they were just going to take my bags. As soon as I got off the plane and saw the door had closed, that’s when I started to feel really anxious.”
She learned that she and several other people had been removed due to a weight imbalance, as no volunteers offered to give up their seats on the flight.
The young woman was rebooked on a flight for the following day and left to fend for herself.
“I was completely shocked and confused,” her mother, Catherine Larkan, told CBC. “I was very worried about her.”
Camryn Larkan, 14, of Victoria, (right, with her mother) was travelling home from Toronto after visiting a friend when a flight attendant suddenly asked her to grab her bags and exit the plane.
“I thought I was going to go back to my seat. I thought they were just going to take my bags. As soon as I got off the plane and saw the door had closed, that’s when I started to feel really anxious,” she said.
Fortunately, the teenager’s father was in Toronto and was the one who dropped her off at the airport and was able to return to pick her up and spend the night there.
“I’m glad my dad was there because if not, I would have been alone,” the teen told CBC.
Porter Airlines, on the other hand, said they were unaware that Camryn was a minor as her parents had not opted to pay the $100 service fee to have their daughter accompanied.
The policy is mandatory for children between 8 and 11 years old, but those between 12 and 17 have the “option to purchase unaccompanied minor service,” according to the airline. It also ensures that the minor will not be involuntarily removed from the flight.
Those who choose not to pay the fare have their child considered an “independent adult” who is subject to “adult passenger situations, such as weight and balance experience and unloading situation,” a spokesperson told CBC.
The Larkans said they didn’t know the service existed, but Catherine believes things need to change nonetheless.
“They put my son in imminent danger,” she told the outlet. “It was total negligence and it shouldn’t happen to any other child.”
Porter Airlines said they were unaware Camryn was a minor as her parents had not opted to pay the $100 service fee for their daughter to travel accompanied. The unaccompanied minor service ensures the child will not be involuntarily deplaned.
“They are providing a service by saying that we know these people are at risk and that if you don’t pay for the service, you will be treated like any other adult passenger who travels. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
The airline said the passengers who disembarked were chosen based on “fare type.” It is unclear which fare the Larkans chose for the Camryn.
Duncan Dee, former chief operating officer of Air Canada, said airlines sometimes have to remove passengers or cargo depending on flight plans or weather conditions, among other reasons.
He also said there is an “order of precedence” when it comes to selecting who will be fired, although he did not elaborate on what that order was.
Porter Airlines said it has been in contact with the Larkans and is looking into ways to reduce the chance of similar situations happening again.
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