Unless he's developmentally disabled, it's not really accurate to keep referring to a 15-year-old as a "kid" in this sense. Sure, he's a juvenile, but they're making it out to be like some 6-year-old was flying on his own and they took him to the wrong city. That's a far cry from a 15-year-old falling asleep and sleeping through his stop and then not knowing how to deal with it. Then again, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because that's the type of clientele who flies on Southwest, the Greyhound bus of the sky.

Why didn't the stewardess wake him and ask him to take off his headphones upon landing?

It's against regulations to be operating electronic equipment during takeoff and landing.

For a moment I thought this was going to be a reference to a Russian new years movie.

/Enjoy your bath...

I once fell asleep and missed my bus stop. I had to walk an extra two blocks home. Truly a traumatic experience.

He was probably stoned/drunk, didn't want to get in trouble and wasn't thinking clearly when he landed.

Couldn't call home for 24 hours, and only did so once a good samaritan helped you? Bullshiat.

Airports have travel assistance offices, where among other things you can call family if you're stranded or some such.

His fault. End of story.

So because of this person, we could be subjected to babysitting and hand holding whenever we travel from now on, regardless of age?

When I was 15 I got on a train in Germany to go to the next station about 40km away. The conductor made me sit on the pull-out jump seat at the end of the car so I would not miss my stop and he mentioned the train only stopped for twenty seconds to pick up the mail. He reassured me that in case I did not get off of the train in time that I could get off at the next stop: Istanbul Turkey! The train stopped at the station and I literally jumped off the train. There was no farking way I was going to call my mom and tell her I was in Istanbul.

Never missed a flight or slept through an entire airport when I was a kid.
BRAT traveled lots by self, nine years old around the world no assistance.

What is wrong with kids these days? This is worse than stoned/drunk.
Either the kid is really stupid, or a genius for excaping to St. Louis for a day.

Wow people, have a little compassion. He's 15, one year away from being in middle school. I can see a teenager sleeping through a landing and take off and I can definitely see a teenager not having his home phone memorized since they're all kept in your cellphones now days. Plus, who would expect to be taken to the wrong city, so no need for cash, he probably was flying from his grandparents to his parents. Not having a cellphone is weird but then again, he might have not wanted to take it with him or he broke it.

Munqaxus: Wow people, have a little compassion. He's 15, one year away from being in middle school. I can see a teenager sleeping through a landing and take off and I can definitely see a teenager not having his home phone memorized since they're all kept in your cellphones now days. Plus, who would expect to be taken to the wrong city, so no need for cash, he probably was flying from his grandparents to his parents. Not having a cellphone is weird but then again, he might have not wanted to take it with him or he broke it.

Oh, I can totally see the story happening. The dumb part is the mother's attempt to blame the airline. This story should have been written as "Teen exercises typcial teen stupidity and sleeps through airplane landing/takeoff. Ends up in St. Louis. Freaks out."

WhyteRaven74: Airports have travel assistance offices, where among other things you can call family if you're stranded or some such.

Nevermind the travel office, any gate agent would have helped, if the kid could communicate his problem clearly, which I doubt

Bhruic: Munqaxus: Wow people, have a little compassion. He's 15, one year away from being in middle school. I can see a teenager sleeping through a landing and take off and I can definitely see a teenager not having his home phone memorized since they're all kept in your cellphones now days. Plus, who would expect to be taken to the wrong city, so no need for cash, he probably was flying from his grandparents to his parents. Not having a cellphone is weird but then again, he might have not wanted to take it with him or he broke it.

Oh, I can totally see the story happening. The dumb part is the mother's attempt to blame the airline. This story should have been written as "Teen exercises typcial teen stupidity and sleeps through airplane landing/takeoff. Ends up in St. Louis. Freaks out."

Typical Helicopter-Mom.

Munqaxus: Wow people, have a little compassion. He's 15, one year away from being in middle school. I can see a teenager sleeping through a landing and take off and I can definitely see a teenager not having his home phone memorized since they're all kept in your cellphones now days. Plus, who would expect to be taken to the wrong city, so no need for cash, he probably was flying from his grandparents to his parents. Not having a cellphone is weird but then again, he might have not wanted to take it with him or he broke it.

Pretty sure I was in High School by 15.

Southwest promised to check their policies and procedures

Right after they find that new lode of 98% pure "Give A Shiat"

When I was 15, I planned and made an entire week-long trip away from home by myself, with my parent's knowledge and support. I made the transportation reservations, the hotel reservations, paid in advance (cash, because I didn't have a credit card) and had a budget for food.

Back then banks sold these things called "travelers checks" and they were all the rage among paranoid folks, well marketed by American Express. My "savings and loan" had free travelers checks for people with accounts (and a free toaster for a $250 deposit).

The only help I wound up needing from Mom and Dad was changing the return trip to an earlier date for something they had forgotten about, so they had to pony up a credit card for an airline ticket.

None of the transportation people insisted I have a baby sitter, and I made it without losing major body components, catching a communicable disease, or falling prey to any of the bogeymen of the time. Mobile phones? Yeah, I had a friend whose father had one, essentially a VHF radio set up to use as a car-mounted phone.

This story reminds me we've got some work to do with our progeny. Only difference is these days, I don't think I'd send a kid off on a trip unescorted without a pre-paid cell phone.

/Excuse me while I chase these kids off my lawn and shout at some clouds.

Stranding the kid in St. Louis was natures attempt to prevent the spread of dumbass genes. I think Southwest should consider offering this as a service -- a modern-day equivalent of setting someone useless on an ice floe.

I may not be 15 anymore but why in the world would you leave the airport if you are in the wrong town. I would absolutely refuse to leave the gate area until I found someone to help me.

So the kid was so stoned that he slept through a takeoff and landing. Was so stupid or still stoned that he couldn't ask for help the right way??

There is no other valid explanation to this fiasco. Wonder if he thought he could score some more drugs and that is why he decided to walk around st. louis.

My CSB: At 15 I flew with by best friend from boston to LA, spent a day at Disney, then travelled to Jakarta to spend the night before we meet an (all adult) volunteer group where we did animal research (across the sea in borneo actually) for most of the summer. On way home we flew via singapre to Perth, then to ayers rock and Sydney. All without plans. We simply figured out busses taxis and tourist information offices. We had plane tickets (the carbon paper kind you could NOT lose) travelers checks, a cc for emergencies only, and common sense. We avoided trouble the whole way, never had a moment of weirdness. Thankfully we were good, dorky kids with no desire to drink... Just wanted to see the world. My point? I thank our parents for raising us as responsible adults with the ability not to crap ourselves when faced with challenges. Sadly I think I became too stupid to handle the same things from age 17 to 21 when I became a teenage shiathead, blindly chasing tail and beer.

If you think the family of the child destined for Tulsa who ended up in St. Louis is pissed, you should see the family of the child destined for St. Louis that they put off the pane in Tulsa!

He woke up in a different city? At least he didn't wake up as a different person.

indeebud: I'd have called the police right there in the presence of the Southwest representative that told me there was nothing I could do as a mother. I'd file a missing persons report and point fingers directly at Southwest. As for the kid? Well, lol, had he been my kid he'd not have wandered around for 24 hours on his own. He'd know to stay put and look for a police officer. Surely a TSA agent would happily jump in to act as Johnny Bravo. lol

Yes, but how would you cure the stupid?

So...who was supposed to meet the kid in Tulsa and why didn't that person notify anyone when the kid didn't show up outside of security?

Something doesn't sound quite right with this story.

Dumbass tag would be more appropriate.

If you are 15 and can't figure out how to get on or off an airplane, you should not be traveling alone.

i don't know why he's complaining. he got a free trip to st. louis.

crab66: Munqaxus: Wow people, have a little compassion. He's 15, one year away from being in middle school. I can see a teenager sleeping through a landing and take off and I can definitely see a teenager not having his home phone memorized since they're all kept in your cellphones now days. Plus, who would expect to be taken to the wrong city, so no need for cash, he probably was flying from his grandparents to his parents. Not having a cellphone is weird but then again, he might have not wanted to take it with him or he broke it.

Pretty sure I was in High School by 15.

Easy now. He is from North Carolina...

Sounds like Southwest saved this kid from having to go to Tulsa. Someone needs to give Southwest a freakin' medal.

/fixing to take a good snooze on a Frontier flight to Denver

indeebud: Oh and also, aren't minors under 18 required by the FAA to wear the badge if flying alone?

/Not up to the FAA
//It is up to the airlines.
///Google is your friend, try it some time

Link (new window)

Children ages five through 11 traveling without an accompanying Passenger age 12 or older must travel as an Unaccompanied Minor (UM) on Southwest Airlines

For UAL: The service is mandatory for unaccompanied children 5 to 11 years old and optional for those 12 to 17 years old.

There was nobody in the police station?

Southwest wouldn't help him after he took a flight without a ticket?

I call BS on both accounts.

In almost every instance of a consumer issue with Southwest Airlines, I side with Southwest. No exception here.

Gaumond: This kids going to be driving soon...

I can't wait for the about how he missed his exit because he was changing the radio station, getting stranded in St. Peters.

Probably high on weed man.

Where's Dave?

"The child wakes up in St. Louis with no family, no money, no cell phone and no help,"

Sounds like the lamest Burn Notice episode ever

cmunic8r99: How do you walk aimlessly around the "St. Louis area"?

Exactly! There isn't much around the airport that would be tempting for a 15 year old. Unless he hopped on the MetroLink for a ride.

Yes the kid is a dumbass, and was either drunk or stoned, but Southwest is the only airline this could have happened on. Every other airline would have known there shouldn't have been a person in seat 14A.

I am calling shenanigans.

Let me guess, he didn't want to be checked in and handled by the airline like a "child".

Of course when things go Charlie Foxtrot, mom goes crazy.

Being an adult means responsibilities. That means being aware and getting off the airplane.

This kid, and his mother, have to be two of the dumbest people on the planet. Missed stop (how do you not realize the plane you are on plane is landing?), no cell phone when travelling around the country by himself, and genius can't figure out how to call home, and his mom thinks this is all SouthWest's fault, since it is not the responsibility of a 15 year old nor his parents to in any way be properly prepared for a situation.