Parents’ outrage after 14-year-old daughter traveling alone is bumped from flight over ‘weight imbalance’
Canadian parents are furious after their 14-year-old daughter was thrown off a plane due to a “weight discrepancy,” leaving her stranded and without help.
Camryn Larkan, 14, of Victoria, British Columbia, was flying home from Toronto after visiting a friend when she was suddenly asked by a flight attendant to grab her bags and exit the plane.
āI was just a little confused,ā she said CBC. ‘I thought I was going 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 was closed, I started to get really anxious.’
She heard that she and several others had been removed due to a weight discrepancy, as there were no volunteers willing to give up their seats on the flight.
The young girl was rebooked on a flight the next day and had 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 flying home from Toronto after visiting a friend when she was suddenly asked by a flight attendant to grab her bags and leave the plane
“I thought I was going 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 was closed, I started to get really anxious,” she said
Luckily, the teen’s father was in Toronto and had driven her to the airport, where he was able to take her back for the night.
āI’m glad my dad was there because otherwise I would have been alone,ā the teen told CBC.
Porter Airlines, on the other hand, said it did not know Camryn was a minor, as her parents had opted not to pay the $100 service fee to have their daughter fly.
The policy is mandatory for those ages eight to 11, but anyone between the ages of 12 and 17 has the “option to purchase the unaccompanied minor service,” the airline said, adding that it also ensures the minor will not be involuntarily removed from the flight.
For those who choose not to pay the fee, their child will be considered an “independent adult” who will be exposed to “adult passenger situations, such as the weight and balance and unloading situations,” a spokesperson told CBC.
The Larkans said they were unaware of the service’s existence, but Catherine believes something needs to change anyway.
“They put my child in imminent danger,” she told the outlet. “It was completely negligent and this should not happen to any other minor.”
Porter Airlines said it did not know Camryn was a minor because her parents had not opted to pay the $100 service fee to have their daughter accompanied. The unaccompanied minor service ensures that the child will not be involuntarily removed from the plane
“They offer a service where they say they know these people are at risk and they say if you don’t do that, [pay for] the service, you are treated like any other adult passenger traveling. It is just ridiculous.’
The airline said disembarking passengers were selected based on “fare type.” It is unclear which fare the Larkans chose for the Camryn.
Duncan Dee, a former chief operating officer at Air Canada, said airlines sometimes have to remove passengers or cargo depending on the flight plan or weather conditions, among other reasons.
He also said there is an “order of precedence” when it comes to choosing who gets kicked out, although he did not elaborate on the order.
Porter Airlines has contacted the Larkans and is investigating ways to reduce the likelihood of similar situations in the future.