United Airlines Accidentally Flies Partially Blind Elderly Woman 1,400 Miles Away From Original Destination
United Airlines is in hot water once again, after flying an 80-year-old woman 1,400 miles away from her original destination.
The elderly passenger, identified as Maria Larios, was scheduled to meet her family at Raleigh-Durham International Airport at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday. However, the woman, who is partially blind and doesn’t speak English, ended up in a completely different destination. According to People, Larios found herself in Colorado instead of North Carolina.
Apparently, Larios managed to board a wrong United Airlines flight after the staff gave her a wrong boarding pass. This is despite the fact that her family has arranged special assistance because of her condition.
Larios was traveling from El Salvador and had a layover in Houston, Texas. That was where she boarded the wrong flight.
The woman’s daughter-in-law, Mikki Paradis, expressed her dismay about the incident and called out United Airlines for allowing such a mistake to happen. She pointed out that Larios “cannot read or write” English and even in her own language, adding that the elderly trusts the staff to give her the right boarding pass.
“She can’t speak English at all. So when you hand her a boarding pass, she’s trusting that it’s the right boarding pass.”
United Accidentally Flies 80-Year-Old Partially Blind Woman to the Wrong City https://t.co/ZP8MYE7OjX
— People (@people) March 2, 2018
She also questioned why her mother-in-law managed to board a flight with the wrong boarding pass in the first place, WRAL reported.
Larios was eventually placed on a new flight to North Carolina with the help of the members of Denver International Airport. The elderly passenger landed in her original destination at midnight.
And while Paradis is thankful that her mother-in-law arrived safely, she’s still upset with the way United Airlines handled the situation. Speaking with the local news outlet, she claimed that the staff treated her like she simply “lost a luggage.”
“They were like, ‘Oh yeah. We made a mistake, and she was given the wrong boarding pass and so she’s in Denver. But it’s not a big deal. We’ve already got her on a flight to Raleigh, and we gave her a meal voucher.'”
Meanwhile, United Airlines has already issued an apology to Larios and her family for putting her on the wrong flight. The company has also issued a refund and travel certificate to compensate for the inconvenience brought by the incident.
In a statement released by United, they assured the family that they will be in constant communication with them to ensure that everything will be settled properly. They are also conducting an investigation internally to fully comprehend what happened and prevent it from happening again in the future.
