Mother Accuses American of Dumping Children in “Freezing” Room
Joe Cortez November 07, 2023
The lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court on Oct. 31, 2023, is suing the carrier for how they allegedly handled the situation with the two unaccompanied minors.
American Accused of Misinformation, Not Providing Adequate Accommodations
The lawsuit was brought by Amber Vencill as the mother of the two children traveling unaccompanied with American. The pair were flying from Missouri – where they visited with their father – to Syracuse, New York, to visit her current partner and his family.
According to the suit, the children had one connection at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). While they made the first flight without incident, their second flight from Charlotte to Syracuse was cancelled, which is where the family claims trouble began.
Per airline policies, the lawsuit claims her partner – identified as “Ted” – was called after the cancellation and told the children would be aboard a flight to Syracuse at 9:00 a.m. the next day. Their mother accuses American of giving her different information, sending an e-mail claiming they wouldn’t fly until 5:21 p.m. In the interim, Vencill claims American told her the children “would be in a nice room for unaccompanied minors where there were beds and their own bathroom.”
The family claims none of that happened. Instead, they say the children were put in a “freezing” room for lost children with only one sofa and the lights remaining on all night. They further say a phone number given to call the children did not work, and they were only able to speak to them by calling the airport directly.
During a conversation with the children, Vencill claims they said they were not given food or drink by the airline, and another “kind woman” not employed by the airline bought them food. Ultimately, the children were able to continue to Syracuse after the overnight delay. When Vencill reportedly e-mailed the American board of directors detailing the situation, she claims she was only offered an apology and a $150 refund of the unaccompanied minors fees.
Vencill and her attorneys are requesting an unspecified amount from the airlines in compensation for the incident. American Airlines has not provided a public comment about the accusations.
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Reading some of these comments is frightening...that there are so many ignorant people!!! For heaven's sake: there are itineraries that only have connections; there may be school days or holidays that affect a child's trip; when you purchase something you should get what you pay for....the airline was paid to ensure the comfort and safety of the children....not just their survival!!!!
What is lacking here is AA's side of the story. Hearing only one side of the story skews the opinion towards the party who is telling their story. I am sure the truth is somewhere in the middle between AA's side of the event and that of the mom.
Agreed. Everyone is jumping all over AA due to the mother's side of the story.
I got lost trying to figure out which parent the kids were trying to visit or if it was their partner(s). But, despite the inconvenience, they arrived safely and suffered no harm. At age ten or twelve, I would've enjoyed the adventure. No lawsuit is needed.
So, that's the standard of care in the United States so button it up? Be happy they weren't raped or murdered in our custody? That is a disgusting and dangerous attitude to take.
I so agree. Even as an older person, I would be very uncomfortable being put in an area I was not familiar with and not able to communicate with family. People pay good money for a minor to be cared for....this was not acceptable care.
Dumb to send kids that old WITHOUT A CELL PHONE on an UNACCOMPANIED trip WITH A CONNECTIONS.
I believe UA should sue Vencill over her lack of intelligence and parenting skills for twice as much as she's suing UA. Just so dumb - I would NEVER trust the airlines to do anything for me this important.
It would seem extremely bizarre for United to do anything of the kind, given American was the carrier in this case.
Dumb? Geez calm down cowboy. I have travelled as UM multiple times in my childhood, including TATL with connections, one of which I missed (LHR-JFK) and got rebooked via MIA. Have always been accompanied 24/7 while at the airport as this is the service that is advertised and the service that the company should provide. Nothing dumb about it unless you are saying that AA have fallen so low that only a fool would trust them.
1. You say "that age" but the age of the children isn't specified. 2. Aa shouldn't offer to transport unaccompanied minors if it can't reasonably assure their safe treatment. Once they do, however, the onus is on them.
Does $150 pay for one day of daycare/day camp with food and activities for two boys 10 and 12?
Yeah no it doesn't. So the fact that this woman would send them across the country - with connections - and expect red carpet service for $150 doesn't say much about her's and her ex's and her partner's and his partner's and whoever else's thought processes.
By the way = NO CELL PHONE? Sorry, that tells me all I need to know about this family's intelligence level.
That's right. They have a presumption of reasonable care when they took the children into their custody. This happened once in Denver when I worked at Stapleton, and the management booked a hotel room for the children and paid an employee (female of course, men cannot be trusted with small children it was explained to me) to sleep over with them. I am also sure we brought food and drink. With my own experiences with AAL, their standard of care is so poor that it verges on criminality. Hold them accountable in court that will get their attention as well as the negative publicity. Shame is a good thing, and it's a "shame" that no one in America ever feels it anymore.
I'm not fond of lawsuits but yes, AA needs to do more than refund a $150 fee. Unfortunate that we don't know the ages of the boys nor do we know how experienced they are at travel. My son took his first flight at 12 but it was a nonstop and he'd flown back and forth from NJ to Myrtle Beach, where my parents lived, with me plenty of times and that involved a connection. I belive that the airlines' rules for kids in the 5-6 year old age range are stricter- higher fees, more supervision.It was pre-cell phone days but I always gave my son a "callling card" (would allow long-distance calls from a pay phone) and some cash.