Parents leave baby at airport check-in after refusing to purchase extra seat
A couple boarding a flight from Ben Gurion, Israel to Brussels left their baby at the airport check-in after refusing to purchase a seat for the child.
According to the Israel Airports Authority, the parents, who are both Belgium passport holders, did not buy the infant a ticket for their Ryanair flight to the Belgian city.
On the day of their flight, the couple arrived late at Terminal 1 of Ben Gurion airport after the check-in counters had already closed.
According to a report by Times of Israel, Ryanair staff then saw the couple speeding off into security screening and leaving behind the infant in his baby carrier.
The crew then interrupted the couple and ordered them to go back and get the baby, which they left by the conveyor belt in the area. At the same time, airport staff alerted police and airport security about the misconduct.
In a statement sent to local media outlets, Ryanair said that all of the staff were bewildered by the couple's misbehavior.
“All the workers were in shock. We have never seen anything like that. We didn’t believe what we were seeing,” local television station Keshet 12 reported.
The portal added that the parents were taken in for questioning by police, along with the baby. It is unclear whether the couple was charged or no further action was taken.