"Wrong Plane": British Airways Sends 19- Year- Old on Frightening Overseas Trip

A 19-year-old with travel aspirations got caught up in an overwhelming trip to America as British Airways forced her to book a different flight while creating confusion for her parents back in England.

Lost In Boston

Last month, Alice Dowling, 19, was booked to fly to Newark Airport in New Jersey so she could work as a lifeguard and dance instructor at Camp America. Due to complications at Heathrow Airport, however, the delays caused her to miss her initial flight.

Heathrow Airport staff told Alice that the alternative route would be to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, however, the upcoming flight for that day was booked full. That left Alice with two other alternatives: Take a flight to Boston Logan Airport, or wait the next day to go to JFK airport.

According to Alice's mother, Carolyn, her daughter was "forced" to take the flight to Boston and was panicked that she wouldn't make the flight to the U.S. Alice managed to board the flight to Boston, though British Airways' website showed her parents that she was on the flight to JFK airport.

Carolyn recalled the scary and confusing predicament to the Mirror:

“It was traumatic as a parent to go through. Me and my husband couldn’t speak to each other, we were just in shock."
 

Carolyn tried to get a hold of somebody at British Airways, but nobody could track her daughter's whereabouts. Carolyn admitted the family spent over £400 placing calls to British Airways and received no updates.

It wasn't until many hours later when Alice called her parents to reveal she was in Boston, but because it was so late at night in the U.S. that she had to sleep alone on the cold floors until 6:00 a.m. to get assistance.
 

Eventually, Alice was able to board another flight from Boston to Newark via United Airlines, and was able to get to Camp America. According to Carolyn, Alice needed "a few days to destress".

Alice claims she's made friends in the U.S. and plans to travel with them following their stint at Camp America before she heads back home overseas.
 

British Airways Responds

A British Airways spokesman responded to the Mirror regarding Alice's story, stating that the airline was aware that Alice wasn't able to board her flight to Newark, but did formally agree to a flight to Boston. In terms of Alice's whereabouts overseas, the airline couldn't disclose information about customers to "those outside the booking".

The representative then went on to say the company is currently in talks with Alice's family to resolve the issue.

There is no word on why British Airways' website stated that Alice was aboard the flight to JFK airport, even when it was known to her beforehand that the flight was booked full.