United Airlines mixes up young passengers

June 2, 2006 (WLS) -- A 14-year-old boy who fell asleep while waiting for a transfer at O'Hare Airport did not make his flight. The family of Lucas Rios is outraged at United Airlines. The workers reportedly did not notice the boy was missing or that another child had taken his seat.

Rios was waiting for a flight to South Bend when he fell asleep. His family paid for him to be part of the unaccompanied minors program, but no one from United noticed Rios did not make the flight. Instead, a 10-year-old boy who was supposed to go to Taiwan was in his seat. The boy spoke no English.

When the mistake was discovered, the plane returned to O'Hare.

Both boys are safe. United called the mix-up an "extremely rare incident" that is completely unacceptable.

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•