ORLANDO, Fla. _ Two unaccompanied children on an Orlando-bound Frontier Airlines flight ended up being taken to a hotel room in an airline employee's personal vehicle after severe weather diverted the plane to Atlanta last month, according to an attorney for the children's parents.
Carter Gray, 9, and Etta Gray, 7, were on a flight from Des Moines, Iowa, that circled Orlando International Airport for 45 minutes before diverting to Atlanta on July 22, said Atlanta attorney Alan Armstrong.
Their mother, Jennifer Ignash, was awaiting the kids at OIA but was not able to talk to anyone with Frontier. The parents did not hear from the kids until Carter called his father, Chad Gray, from another minor's cellphone shortly after midnight on July 23.
"It was really a disaster," said Gray, who lives in Orlando.
Carter, Etta and four other kids stayed in a room at the Atlanta airport for about four hours and were taken to a hotel by a Frontier employee about 5 a.m., Gray said. They were only given Rice Krispie treats and water, he said.
"At least give them some Chick-fil-A _ that's in Atlanta, right?" Gray said.
Gray also expressed concern that his daughter was not in a booster seat, which is required by law, and that the kids were not properly supervised in the hotel rooms.
"I think there needs to be set policies and procedures put in place," he said. "I think they probably escaped this incident with very little damage, but that may not be the case if it happens again."
The kids were eventually given a voucher to buy breakfast at McDonald's before boarding a flight that landed in Orlando about 1 p.m.
Gray, 42, said the whole situation was mishandled and he still hasn't heard from the airline.
"They should have been overly protective of these children," Gray said. "They could have made sure the kids were comfortable and really reached out to make contact with the parents."
Armstrong, a retired pilot, said he questions why the plane flew to Orlando in the first place when the weather was poor.
"You have to ask yourself: Why did the pilots fly to an airport that was closed?" Armstrong said. "It's just not acceptable."
Gray said his kids were upset, and said Carter had nightmares in the nights following the ordeal. He said he doesn't want a flight voucher, something airlines often offer when there are significant delays.
"We won't be flying Frontier again," he said.
A spokesman for Frontier said he was looking into the incident before making a comment.
