Parents place their trust in airlines when letting their underage children fly unaccompanied. It is scary when that trust is broken. Amber Vencill is suing American Airlines for the alleged mistreatment of her two sons, ages 10 and 12, who were flying from Missouri to New York to visit family, with a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Amber’s sons’ connecting flight was canceled. They were placed in the lost children’s room for the night and not offered any food. For many hours, Amber did not know where her kids were.
Amber filed her lawsuit on October 31, 2023. The incident occurred in July 2022. Amber recalls how scared she felt. "It's a feeling no parent ever wants to feel," she explained to GMA.
Amber had faith in American Airlines. She paid around $600 in unaccompanied minor service fees. This comes out to about $150 per child each way. The service is required for kids ages 5 to 14 and is available for those up to 17 years old.
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At first, the boys’ flight from Charlotte was just delayed. This happened several times until it was eventually canceled. Amber got an email saying they would fly out the following day. Neither of them had a phone.
Amber’s partner received a phone call from American Airlines about the canceled flight. They were assured that the boys would be placed in a "nice room for unaccompanied minors where there were beds and their own bathroom." This did not happen.
"I have faith that during the transitions at the airports, they would be with a flight attendant since they had that service," Amber stated. She grew concerned when she could not reach her boys at the phone number American Airlines gave her. She had to get creative and call the airport itself. It took hours for her to get a hold of her boys.
Instead of the promised nice overnight accommodations, the boys were given a "cold room akin to a jail cell." Amber claims it was the room for lost children. "I asked them if they had anything to eat or drink. And they were like, 'No, Mom,'" Amber recalled.
An airport employee bought the kids food before their flight to New York. The person was not employed by American Airlines. The kids were shaken up by this experience and were picked up by Amber’s partner in New York.
American Airlines addressed the lawsuit in a statement obtained by ABC News. "The safety and comfort of our customers, including unaccompanied minors in our care are our highest priorities … We have been in touch with Ms. Vencill directly and we are reviewing the details of the lawsuit,” it wrote.
American Airlines refunded Amber’s unaccompanied minor fees. She is suing because she never wants this to happen to another family. "I knew that this was a chance that I had to make sure that it didn't happen to anyone else," she explained.
