Get All Access for $5/mo

16-Year-Old Ends Up in Puerto Rico—Instead of Ohio—After Airline Employee Forgets to Scan Boarding Pass, Puts Him on Wrong Flight Logan Lose was set to visit his mother in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 22.

By Emily Rella

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Two different airlines had massive internal errors over the holidays, which led to two unaccompanied minors boarding and flying on incorrect flights.

Logan Lose, 16, was set to depart from Tampa International Airport on a Frontier Airlines flight on December 22 to go to Cleveland, Ohio, to visit his mother—but instead ended up in Puerto Rico.

The gate agent reportedly checked Lose's pass but didn't scan it before he boarded the flight. The flight that he was supposed to be on was leaving from the same gate but boarding after the flight to Puerto Rico took off.

Related: Woman Boards Wrong Plane, Lands in Jamaica Without Passport

"I could feel the fear in the text messages. I could feel how scared he was," the teen's father, Ryan Lose, told NBC News about his son's frantic realization that he had landed in the wrong destination. "My heart pretty much sank at that point because there was nothing I could do."

Lose said that the family called the airline after the flight had taken off to let them know what was going on and the pilot was informed so that he could find Logan when the plane landed.

Logan was flown back to Tampa immediately, at 3:30 a.m., on December 23 and was on a 7:45 a.m. flight to Cleveland later that morning.

"This whole ordeal has been stressful for everyone," Lose told CNN.

Ironically, Lose's incident was not the first-of-its-kind this holiday season.

Related: Man Traveling to Sydney, Australia Winds Up in Sidney, Montana

On December 21, a 6-year-old flying Spirit Airlines from Philadelphia was accidentally put on a flight to Orlando, Florida, when he was meant to fly to Fort Myers (which is a few hours away) to visit his grandmother for the holidays.

"The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them," Spirit said in a statement to CNN.

The child's grandmother, Maria Ramos, told local outlet WINK-TV that it was not made clear how her grandson was incorrectly boarded onto the wrong plane and explained that she had to drive 160 miles to go pick him up from the airport, which Spirit offered to reimburse.

"We apologize to the family for this experience," the airline said.

Emily Rella

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'I'm Not Trying to Land on Mars': Mark Cuban Takes Dig at Elon Musk to Explain Why His Online Pharmacy Isn't Trying to Make More Money

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. is an online pharmacy co-founded by Cuban and radiologist Alex Oshmyansky.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Business News

'It's Not About You': How to Fire Someone Effectively, According to Kevin O'Leary

O'Leary says that if you can't fire someone, you aren't the right leader for the organization.

Business News

Meta Makes $1 Million Dollar Donation to Donald Trump's Inaugural Fund

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also reportedly gave Trump a pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Leadership

Should I Stay or Should I Go? 8 Key Points to Navigate the Founder's Dilemma

Here are eight key signs that help founders determine whether to persevere or let go.