Parents attempt to board Ryanair flight after abandoning ticketless baby at check-in

Couple leave ticketless baby at Israeli airport check-in.

 

A couple abandoned their baby at a check-in desk in Tel Aviv, Israel after arriving at the airport without a ticket for the child.

 

The unnamed parents, who both held Belgian passports, had arrived at Ben Gurion Airport with their baby, planning to board a Ryanair flight to Brussels, the Israeli Airport Authority told local Channel 12.

 

After discovering the baby did not have a ticket, the parents reportedly left it at the check-in counter as they hurried through security to catch their flight.

 

It is unclear whether the couple were unable or unwilling to buy a ticket for their child.

 

A short cell phone video that was recorded at the airport shows a woman looking at the baby in the carrier and exclaiming in Hebrew: “She left him here, I swear!”

 

According to reports, the parents were stopped from boarding the plane and told to return to their child at the check-in desk.

 

The matter was referred to police, a spokeswoman for Ryanair told CNN in an email.

 

She said: “These passengers traveling from Tel Aviv to Brussels (31 Jan) presented at check-in without a booking for their infant. They then proceeded to security leaving the infant behind at check-in.

 

“The check-in agent at Ben Gurion Airport contacted Airport Security, who retrieved these passengers, and this is now a matter for local police.”

 

The Israeli Airport Authority confirmed the episode in a statement.

 

“A couple and an infant with Belgian passports arrived for a flight at Terminal 1 without a ticket for the baby. The couple also arrived late for the flight, once the check-in for the flight was closed. The couple left the infant seat with the baby and ran toward the security checks at Terminal 1 in an attempt to reach the boarding gate for the flight.”

 

A spokesman for Israel Police told CNN in a phone call that the matter appeared to have been resolved by the time police arrived on the scene. He said: ““The baby was with the parents and there’s no further investigation.”

 

According to Ryanair’s website, people booking a flight online can pay an extra charge of $27 to add a ticket for an infant who will share a seat with an adult. If the passenger wants the infant to have a separate seat, a full ticket must be bought.