[mom777]

My 15 year old daughter was booked on flight BA5739 operated by American Airlines as AA 360 from Seattle, WA at 8:25 on June 28 due to arrive at O’Hare in Chicago at 2:20 pm. She was then supposed to connect with flight BA4272 leaving O’Hare at 4:40 pm and arriving in Madrid at 7:40 am on Saturday the 29th of June.
As this was my daughter’s first time flying alone, I arranged my own flight to visit my father to leave on the same day approximately 30 minutes after her plane left. Also because her flight was early in the morning and traffic between our home in Olympia (49 miles away) and Seatac airport is highly unpredictable, I felt it was safer to book a hotel near the airport to assure that we would have no difficulties getting to the airport on time.
We got to her gate without any difficulties; her plane was late boarding, but not significantly. Eventually she boarded her flight, and then I boarded mine. I watched from my plane as hers taxied down the runway. She was headed to her connection in Chicago, and I was headed to my connection in Dallas; we had a plan communicate when I landed in Dallas, so that I would know that she made it to her gate and on her flight to Madrid. When I landed in Dallas, I turned on my phone to discover that I had texts, voice messages, and emails from my daughter, her father, and my father all regarding her flight that had apparently sat on the tarmac for a considerable amount of time before taking off, circling Seattle a few times and then returning to Seatac. It seems the plane HAD NO BRAKES. I somehow doubt you can imagine how this made me feel – trusting an airline with my only daughter only to find out she had been put on a plane that was not in good mechanical condition, and someone made the decision to take off anyway.
To add insult to injury American Airlines tried to reroute my child on a flight that was not leaving Seatac until after 9pm that evening taking a redeye to Miami and then flying out of Miami 12 hours later. That’s approximately 22 hours ALONE TO WANDER THROUGH AIRPORTS! She was not given ANY accommodation or meal vouchers. Let me repeat: My daughter is 15 years old and has never been alone in an airport before.
Her father was working in Lakewood, and had to leave work to drive all the way to Seatac. When he saw how she had been rerouted, they stood in line for hours to speak to someone to explain that this plan was unacceptable. After much ado she was eventually given a ticket to Dallas the next morning leaving Seatac at 10:05 am arriving in Dallas at 4:45 pm then on to Madrid arriving at 10:05 am on Sunday the 30th of June – more than 26 hours late to her destination. Her father had to drive her all the way back to Olympia that afternoon and then all the way back again the next morning, and he had to miss work.
He was told by a ticket agent to ask for her when they returned as she would make sure that all arrangements were in order. On Saturday morning when he asked for this woman, he was told that it was her day off. When he tried to have a conversation over the telephone with a “supervisor” regarding their plan to leave a 15-year-old girl to wander airports alone, he was told that “we take responsibility,” but the woman would not give him her name nor explain what taking “responsibility” actually looks like other than empty words.
She was going to Spain to teach English. Included in the program was one day of sightseeing before heading to the language camp site in the countryside four hours from Madrid. Arrangements had been made for her meals and lodging at the cost of 90€. She missed all of that arriving just in time to catch the bus to the camp site.
American Airlines put me and my family though much worry, FEAR, and heartache regarding my daughter’s safety both on the ground and in the air. American Airlines also cost us time and money. And finally American Airlines has offered NOT EVEN an apology much less an explanation, much less any reimbursement for our expenses due to their cavalier negligence. My daughter’s father has written to American Airlines directly but has received no reply.