A couple from Victoria, British Columbia, are angry at Porter Airlines for what they claim is the company’s “negligence” in handling the trip taken by their 14-year-old daughter.
Camryn Larken, 14, apparently got off the plane at the gate when the airline had to remove some passengers as the plane had weight and balance issues. The girl said she was sitting in her seat about to leave Toronto to return to B.C. when a flight attendant asked her to get her bags and leave the plane.
The girl said she was “really confused” and thought she would be brought back to her seat. But once she exited the plane the doors closed and the plane took off. “That’s when I started to get really anxious.”
Camryn’s parents are upset and believe the airline somehow put their daughter in danger. Camryn herself seemed to believe that she was in some sort of danger. The girl was able to call her father who came back to the airport to pick her up, but, Camryn said, if he had not been there “I would have been all alone.”
While still at the airport, Camryn was rebooked on the same flight the next day, then left to go home with her father. Her parents say they’re upset that she was asked to get off the plane as a minor but without any explanation.
Mom Catherine Larkan said “they put my child in imminent danger.” It is not clear what danger she may have been referring to.
Porter Airlines says they did nothing wrong. The plane was overweight, which meant that some passengers would have to leave and take another flight. The airline said that staff asked for volunteers, but when no one came forward, they had to choose some passengers themselves. Porter’s Robyn van Teunenbroke said in an email statement that no one knew that Camryn was under 18 years of age.
Like most airlines, Porter offers a service to accompany minors traveling alone through their trip, but it costs extra and must be specifically selected by the customer. It’s mandatory for children up to 12, but it is only optional for kids 12 to 17 years old.
The airline said it considers minors aged 12 and older to be equivalent to a traveling adult, and consider them able to navigate an airport and get on a plane without specific adult or parental help.
Catherine Larkan is still angry, and she thinks the airlines should compel all families sending a teenager on a trip to pay for the unaccompanied minor service. She characterized traveling teenagers as “at-risk,” though she did not specify what that risk might be.
Media seem confused and upset as well, incorrectly claiming that the girl was “forced to fend for herself” for a whole day. This is not true; Camryn was with her father.
