Mum’s HORROR as her autistic son is removed from a flight WITHOUT her knowledge
Just awful
A British mother was shocked when she arrived home from a holiday in Greece with her family, and realised one of her children was missing.
Nicola Purdy had brought her three children, Jack, 24, Alex, 12 and Darci, 11, on holiday following the death of their father, Metro reports.
When they arrived at the airport Jack, who is autistic, was taken away by a doctor when he fell ill with a migraine and started vomiting.
Robert Melen
“The doctor came and took him and his boarding pass and said they would put him on the flight in priority seating,” Mrs Purdy explained.
“I noticed he was not in his allocated seat, but we were right at the back. I thought he was sat further down the front, there was no reason he would not be on that flight.
However, when they went to collect their luggage after the flight landed, she realised Jack’s bags were missing and she could not find him.
“I was perfectly oblivious and we arrived at Cardiff and went to get the luggage. We waited a while, and there was nobody left in arrivals or departures and I thought, where is my son?” she said.
“He must have been thinking we had all abandoned him. It was awful.”
The family searched for over three hours along with airport security, police and the British Consulate.
A teary and distraught Jack finally arrived back in the UK via taxi, accompanied by a manager from TUI, the company the family booked their holiday through.
Mrs Purdy is now seeking compensation from TUI and says she wants to ensure this never happens to anyone else.
Nicola Conville has worked as a journalist and editor for more than 20 years across a wide range of print and online publications. Her areas of expertise are parenting, health and travel. She has two children; Lucy, age eight, and Nathan, age five.
