Parents Leave Infant Boy at Airline's Check-in Desk After Being Told They Need to Buy a Separate Ticket for Him
Staff were shocked to find the baby left behind.
A couple traveling from Tel Aviv to Brussels abandoned their baby at a check-in desk after being told they had to buy an extra ticket for the child. The pair reportedly tried to get through security to board the plane at Ben-Gurion airport but were forced to return to the terminal and subsequently detained by police.
"All the workers were in shock. We have never seen anything like that. We didn't believe what we were seeing," Ryanair staff said. Here's what happened when the desk staff realized the baby had been left behind.
The couple, who both hold Belgian passports, were traveling on a Ryanair flight from Tel Aviv to Brussels on Tuesday, January 31, with a tiny baby, Times of Israel reported. Ryanair policy for children is to pay a small fee for a lap seat or to purchase an entire separate seat. They reportedly arrived after the check-in desk was closed and were unable to purchase a ticket.
The couple were determined to get on the flight to Brussels—so they headed for security with their boarding passes. What they didn't take with them was their child, who was left in a stroller at the check-in desk.
Security staff refused to let them through and sent them back to the terminal to retrieve their baby. The staff also called the police, who came to Terminal 1 and arrested the pair, taking them in for questioning.
Video footage shows the moment the shocked staff noticed there was a stroller left at the check-in desk. Audible noises of surprise can be heard as staff peel back a cover to see the abandoned baby lying there alone.
Israel's Airport Authority released a statement confirming what happened. "A couple with Belgian passports arrived for a Ryanair flight at Terminal 1 without a ticket for the baby. The couple also arrived late for the flight after the flight's check-in counters had closed. They left the baby and went to the security check-in at Terminal 1 to get to the departure gate. A ground services shift manager took the couple back to the flight counters to take the baby and called the police and a security guard."
