Parents Outraged After 14-Year-Old Daughter Removed from Flight and Left Alone - 'Imminent Danger'

The parents of a 14-year-old Canadian girl are furious after their daughter was forced off an airline flight and left to navigate the situation alone.

“They put my child in imminent danger,” Catherine Larkan stated, as reported by CBC.

“It was completely negligent, and this should never happen to another minor,” she emphasized.

The incident occurred on August 30 when Camryn Larkan was flying solo on a Porter Airlines flight from Toronto to Victoria, British Columbia. It was only her second time flying unaccompanied.

Before takeoff, a flight attendant informed Camryn that she needed to collect her belongings and exit the plane.

“I was really confused… I thought I’d be returning to my seat. I figured they were just taking my bags,” Camryn Larkan recalled.

It wasn’t until she stepped off the plane and saw the door close behind her that the anxiety set in. “That’s when I started to get really anxious,” she said.

Camryn was rebooked on the same flight for the following day but was left to manage on her own. She called her father, who had already dropped her off, but returned to pick her up.

“I’m just so relieved that my dad was there. If he hadn’t been, I would have been completely on my own,” she explained.

An airline representative said the teen was removed “due to a weight and balance issue. The crew asked passengers to volunteer for rebooking, but when none stepped forward, individuals were chosen based on their fare type,” according to People.

The representative added that “It was not known to our team at the time that Camryn was a minor. She quickly left the airport, and our team had limited opportunity to discuss other options with her.”

The airline explained to CBC that a $100 optional service for minors would have protected Camryn from being bumped, but the Larkans said they weren’t informed about this service and didn’t purchase it.

In emails reviewed by CBC, the airline informed the family that passengers over the age of 12 who are not enrolled in the unaccompanied minors program are considered “independent adults,” subject to situations such as “weight and balance and offloading.”

Catherine Larkan believes this service, which is mandatory for children under 12, should apply to all minors.

“They’re offering a service that acknowledges these individuals are at risk, but if you don’t pay for it, they treat you like any other adult passenger. It’s absurd,” she argued.

Duncan Dee, former COO of Air Canada, noted that removing a passenger is unusual.

However, Dee pointed out that unless the family informs the airline, they have no way of knowing the traveler is a minor.

“If a family books a flight and doesn’t disclose that their child is a minor requiring special attention, the airline will treat them like any other passenger,” Dee explained.

Camryn Larkan hopes her experience prevents others from being stranded.

“I’m just glad I knew how to talk to people at the airport,” she said. “I just don’t want anyone else my age or younger to go through this.”