Despite valid ticket

Airline leaves 14-year-old behind at the airport

A 14-year-old Icelander was left alone at the airport in Rome. The flight to Reykjavik was overbooked (symbolic image).

(Bild: APA/AFP/Andreas SOLARO)

The Hungarian airline Wizz Air has left a 14-year-old alone at the airport in Rome, even though he had a valid ticket. The reason: The flight was overbooked ...

There were not enough seats for all the passengers on board. According to media reports, the teenager from Iceland was in Italy with a youth group and a chaperone. The flight was due to depart for Reykjavik on August 10. Shortly before departure, it was suddenly announced that the plane was overbooked and there was no more room on board for Alfred.

Phone call with mother
The supervisor then had two options - either let the seven young people fly alone and stay behind with the 14-year-old or leave Alfred at the gate and fly with the others. She phoned his mother Arna, who gave the go-ahead for the second solution.

They did absolutely nothing to help him. I think he was really scared.

Mutter Arna kritisiert die Fluglinie

The plane then took off without the young Icelander. "They did absolutely nothing to help him. I think he was really scared," Alfred's mother has since criticized the airline. She called Wizz Air several times but was unable to get through, she explains.

Couple took care of the boys
Eventually, a couple who had also been removed from the flight and were stranded in Rome became aware of the boy. They helped him to get their luggage back, says the mother. As the next Wizz Air flight to Reykjavik was only a week later, Arna ended up booking a much more expensive Icelandair flight. The couple then flew on this flight.

The airline has since apologized to those affected for the inconvenience and announced that it will investigate the incident internally.