Parents leave baby at airport counter after refusing to buy extra ticket
A couple were checking in for a flight from Ben Gurion International Airport to Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday when they made the decision to leave their baby behind.
Upon their arrival at the airport check-in desk in Tel Aviv, Israel, it was revealed that the baby did not have a ticket. Rather than address the situation and ensure their child’s safe travel, the pair opted to proceed to security without their stroller and its young occupant.
The airline they were flying with, Ryanair, state on their website that "infants can be included in a flight reservation during the online booking process."
Following their process for booking with an infant, a message will pop-up to let travellers know there is a €25 charge (approximately $39) for each one-way flight the baby participates in from an adult’s lap. If the adults want the baby to travel in a seat of its own with the proper equipment, a seat must be paid for.
The parents, apparently, had not made such arrangements for their baby. The matter was referred to officials, as confirmed by a Ryanair spokeswoman.
"These passengers travelling from Tel Aviv to Brussels presented at check-in without a booking for their infant,” she told CNN, “they then proceeded to security leaving the infant behind at check-in.
"The check-in agent at Ben Gurion Airport contacted Airport Security, who retrieved these passengers, and this is now a matter for local police."
Reports of the situation were confirmed by the Israeli Airport Authority, who provided a statement to CNN and offered some more information into what went on.
"A couple and an infant with Belgian passports arrived for a flight at Terminal 1 without a ticket for the baby,” it read.
“The couple also arrived late for the flight, once the check-in for the flight was closed. The couple left the infant seat with the baby and ran toward the security checks at Terminal 1 in an attempt to reach the boarding gate for the flight."
A video allegedly from the airport at the time, staff can be heard expressing their sadness for the child. Another woman exclaims, “she left him there, I swear!”
Ryanair staff also voiced their shock over the incident, telling N12, “we’re never seen anything like it.”
Despite reports that the parents were detained, an Israel Police spokesman told CNN that the matter appeared to have been resolved by the time law enforcement arrived on the scene, stating that "the baby was with the parents and there's no further investigation."
Images: Getty