Sorry We Lost Your Child, Qantas Tells Mom

Qantas Airlines lost track of an unaccompanied 11-year-old boy and, understandably, his mom is fuming. But, wait, there’s more! Not only did airline staff lose the paperwork relating to this child, they had no clue he was even in their care. Then, to make up for the mishap, they offered the boy’s mom a $1000 travel voucher.

On September 28, Australia’s Hobart Airport was totally chaotic following storms in Melbourne that had caused flight delays and lots of lost baggage. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the boy had been dropped off at Melbourne Airport by his uncle and passed into the care of Qantas cabin crew. When his flight landed just before 1 a.m., the boy wandered alone through the crowded airport before spotting his mother, Leanne Decleva.

Decleva, who’s a child protection worker, was not impressed. She asked her son why he was alone, to which he replied, “I don’t know.” So she marched over to the Qantas counter, where staff members were unable to give her any answers. In fact, they had no paperwork to sign for the boy’s collection and didn’t know who was authorized to pick him up, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.

Decleva showed her driver’s license, and staff then said she was free to take him. “There could have been a custody battle…and I may have been prevented from having any contact with him. Working in child protection, I know all this stuff, because it happens all the time,” she said. Decleva is now considering her legal options.

(Photo: Qantas.com.au)