A couple’s attempt to board a Ryanair flight from Tel Aviv to Brussels took a shocking turn after they refused to buy a ticket for their baby.
According to the Israel Airports Authority, the couple arrived late at Terminal 1 in Tel Aviv after the check-in counter had closed.
They wanted to go straight to security, so they left their baby on the conveyor belt at the check-in area.
While most modes of transport allow young infants to ride for free, airlines have different policies when it comes to children.
Usually, an infant ticket is needed for a baby who is over 14 days old and up to the age of two.
The parents with Belgian passports refused to pay for the infant’s ticket and attempted to board the plane without their baby.
However, airport staff noticed what had happened and contacted the police, who then found and questioned the couple.
The manager at the Ryanair desk was among the witnesses who saw the baby left behind and was shocked by the parents’ actions.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” the manager said. “We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.”
Ryanair released a statement saying, “These passengers traveling from Tel Aviv to Brussels (31 Jan) presented at check-in without a booking for their infant. They then proceeded to security leaving the infant behind at check-in. The check-in agent at Ben Gurion Airport contacted Airport Security, who retrieved these passengers, and this is now a matter for local police.”
