Possible Lawsuit

I'd certainly raise a stink with the airline. I see that you mention that you were obliged to pay a fee for a service which was not rendered. That at the least should be refunded. When my nephew was 12, i put him on a flight from North Carolina to St. Louis, where his mother would claim him. I was required to put him in the care of a steward or stewardess, and to pay the extra fee. I did not leave the boarding lounge until the airline (United) provided the required escort--which they did.

Consider contacting your congressional Representative, and ask that someone in the FAA contact you.

Definitely, go for the refund.

Thirty-odd years ago my sons, then 9 and 11, flew from Allentown, PA to visit their grandparents in Denver, CO. The boys had to change planes--and terminals--in Chicago. At that time O'Hare was the busiest airport in the world. They had a three hour layover at O'Hare.

I had to pay a hefty premium for a "specially trained" stewardess to escort them between flights.

Their flight landed at 12:30 p.m. They were escorted to a corner of a public lounge and told to STAYRIGHTTHEREANDBEQUIET. No one worried about lunch--which had been promised as part of the surcharge.

At 3:00 p.m. they began to worry about missing the Chicago-Denver flight. They checked for the terminal information and hiked over to the second terminal (not knowing about the shuttle bus), found the boarding area and climbed on the flight to Denver.

In those days you could meet a flight at the air plane door. Several days into the visit, the older boy remarked that the stewardess had been unnecessarily nasty. His brother added that she never had come back to get them on the second plane.

Outraged Grandfather swung into action. Not only was the surcharge refunded, so was a chunk of the round trip ticket. He was told the stewardess would be "dealt with".

When my sons flew back to Pennsylvania they were guarded at all time (much to their disgust). They were invited to the cockpit and given "extra" bags of peanuts. I had to provide I.D. to prove that I was their mother!

By all means, squawk--loudly. I'm not sure that a lawsuit would make other children safer, but writing to the FAA and both airports and the president of the board of the airline (with documentation and copies of your reciepts) and possibly newspapers in your home town and in Ohio should produce some official concern.

Good luck.

I agree with the others. Make some noise. I know I would have.