CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Jacksonville mother is suing American Airlines after she says her young sons were forced to sleep in a room like "a jail cell" overnight when their connecting flight was canceled in North Carolina.
The family paid to use the airline's unaccompanied minor service last summer, but Vencill said the company's failure to deliver services traumatized her kids and sent her into a panic.
Amber Vencill said her sons were flying from Missouri to New York last July when they got stuck at the Charlotte airport after their flight was canceled.
She said the boys didn't have food, water or adult supervision overnight, and now she's calling on the airline to take responsibility for what happened.
"It's a feeling no parent ever wants to feel," she said.
The family paid hundreds of dollars for the 10-year-old and 12-year-old to fly as unaccompanied minors, which includes an escort, according to the company's website.
They were flying from their father's home to other relatives, stopping in North Carolina for a layover.
After many delays, the boys' flight was canceled, and Vencill was told they'd be on a flight out of Charlotte the next morning.
They didn't have cell phones, and she said she couldn't reach them at the number the airline provided her.
"The panic really, really set in at this point," she said.
Vencill said she finally got in contact with an airport employee who found the boys and let her talk to them.
The lawsuit claims they were “in a lost children’s room […] akin to a jail cell.”
"I asked them if they had anything to eat or drink and they were like, 'No, mom,'" she said.
American Airlines apologized and refunded Vencill for the unaccompanied minor service they paid for, but her attorney Elizabeth Eilender said the company needs to be held accountable for failing to provide services and traumatizing the family.
"They [American Airlines] didn't ask questions,” Eilender said. “I would think that a responsible airline would want to get to the bottom of this, so it doesn't happen to another family."
In a statement, American Airlines said: "The safety and comfort of our customers, including unaccompanied minors in our care, are our highest priorities and we're committed to providing a positive experience to everyone who travels with us. We have been in touch with Ms. Vencill directly and we are reviewing the details of the lawsuit."