In a shocking case of avoiding additional airfare costs, a couple purportedly abandoned their child in Tel Aviv as they did not purchase a ticket for them to fly.
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No Ticket For The Child
CNN is reporting that a couple left their child at the check-in counter when they were informed that they needed to pay an additional €25 for the child to fly.
“A couple and an infant with Belgian passports arrived for a flight at Terminal 1 without a ticket for the baby. 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.” – Israeli Airport Authority
It’s unclear what the couple had intended to happen to the child, perhaps they expected a relative to pick the baby up, and has not been reported at this point.
“A spokesman for Israel Police told CNN in a phone call that the matter appeared to have been resolved by the time police arrived on the scene. He said: “The baby was with the parents and there’s no further investigation.” – CNN
Of Course, It Was Ryanair
Ryanair is known for its Ultra Low Cost Carrier approach adding numerous fees on top of very low booking prices. The flight operating from Tel Aviv, Israel to Brussels, Belgium was soon to depart though that there’s obviously no excuse for this kind of behavior. While Ryanair often finds ways to charge for just about everything and may be portrayed as driving its customers to the point of insanity, customers that add the extras they want typically have a good flight experience and still pay less than other carriers. The carrier has even suggested eliminating co-pilots to keep fares low.
For what it’s worth, nearly all carriers charge for infants including in the US where at least the taxes are due. Some carriers charge 10% of a passenger fare for the child, which in premium cabins can run into the hundreds even on award redemptions.
Criminal, Reprehensible
Regardless of whether the couple had arranged for someone to collect the child (which is not stated but the only logical conclusion that doesn’t involve them abandoning their child) it’s still criminal to leave the child and walk off or, in this case, run to a departing flight. The couple had intended to travel with their child but decided against paying the small fee for the child to fly with them. That’s reprehensible behavior.
What remains confusing to me is how the couple evaded prosecution even after the child and parents had been reunited. Children in the US are removed from their parental custody for less than this disgusting behavior. If for nothing else, the mere motivation that would compel a couple to choose to travel rather than paying for the child is beyond comprehension.
Conclusion
There may be more to this story, but on the surface, any couple who would leave a child with strangers or unattended as they attempt to board a flight abroad is irresponsible and should not be responsible for the care of that child. The fact that the fee was only €25 underlines the extent to which this couple’s flawed logic could put the child at risk.
What do you think? Should the couple be prosecuted for leaving their child behind? Is there a plausible reason they shouldn’t be charged with a crime?
Belgian passports flying from TLV, strong possibility they’re Haredi. As such there’s a wide amount of deference granted to them as they form a very important political bloc within Israel even though they’re a drain on state resources as most men don’t work (and collect welfare for their large families) nor do they serve in the IDF because it would interfere with their religious practices.
Instead of anti-semitically suggesting theyre Haredi because of their departure point, maybe consider the possibility that they are non Jewish Belgians?
I avoid flying Ryan Air and Easy Jet even if flying a regular airline means a connection. I am no longer a broken student traveling with a backpack across Europe.
@Santastico – Fair enough. For the avoidance of doubt, British Airways, Air France/KLM, and Iberia, all charge more for the exact same infant lap child. Only Lufthansa is less with just the taxes and fees, though depending on the country, that could be close to the same charge as RyanAir.
So why, in your article, do you say that “of course, it was Ryanair”? The overwhelming majority of their pax manage to arrive on time and pay appropriate fees in advance, as with any other carrier.
Ryanair.
Is it possible that they simply forgot? Odd as it may seem, it does happen from time to time. Babies have been forgotten in cars, in Israel and the US, with tragic results. This may have been a case like that.
I guess anything is possible, but in this case, they were arguing about the child, the fee, and not paying it and then legged it for the gate. It would have to be a pretty short memory to forget the exact reason you were arguing especially when it’s a human being.
*Ryanair
If you’re running a blog on the travel industry, lets at least try to get the carrier names spelled correctly eh?
@ChurnieEls – As you probably know, this blog has more than 170 posts either directly or indirectly touching the topic of Ryanair. We know how it’s spelled but I can’t say the same for spellcheck and admittedly, it got past my read-through edit. Fair enough, it was incorrect, but a little heavy-handed with the correction, eh?
Other reports state that after clearing security the security personal yelled at the parents that they forgot their baby they ignored these calls and continued to run in an attempt to make their flight. However, once it was clear they were abandoning their baby security contacted Israeli police who stopped the parents before they boarded the plane. At that point they returned to security and picked up their baby and left with police.
It’s pretty clear these parents (who reportedly carry Belgian passports) do not feel their child is worth 25 euros, nor their responsiblity. How truly sad and tragic for that child.
I feel so sad for the baby. What kind of a life will it have with parents like this. The child does not appear to be of any value to them.
Wish it could go to a home where it will be loved.
Domestically in US no charge for lap infant. This is partially done to encourage parents not to drive with infants. (Safer flying than on road) only if travel internationally do US airlines charge. (In this case legally the infant must have a ticket when flying internationally)
€25 in your pocket and no kids?! Sounds like a great deal to me!