ATLANTA — Two parents in Orlando are upset after they say their children were stranded in Atlanta without their knowledge while the children were flying as unaccompanied minors on a Frontier Airlines flight from Iowa. They say no one contacted them after the plane carrying their children was diverted to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport due to weather and that Denver-based Frontier should have called them to ask if it was okay to drive the children to a hotel before they decided to make that move. >> Read more trending news Etta, age 7, and Carter, age 9, were flying July 22 from a visit to see their grandparents in Des Moines, Iowa, back home to Orlando, scheduled to arrive at 10:46 p.m. It was their kids' first flight alone, and didn't go as planned. Posted by WSB-TV on Thursday, August 9, 2018 But storms in Orlando caused a ground stop, and the flight diverted to Atlanta late at night. The children stayed at a hotel with an airline worker and shared a room with four other children. It was the children's first flight without their parents. The incident highlights what can go wrong when children fly unaccompanied -- even on a nonstop route -- if a flight is diverted to an unfamiliar city. While the Frontier flight diverted to Atlanta, sometimes flights get diverted to an airport in a small town where the airline may not even have staff. "This was the first year I said okay, they're old enough to fly on their own, they know their phone number, they know their address," said Etta and Carter's mother Jennifer Ignash. But when the flight got diverted, "it was like, okay, panic." Frontier charges a $110 unaccompanied minor fee per child and does not allow unaccompanied minors on connecting flights. The airline said in keeping with its policy, "the children were attended to at all times by a Frontier supervisor, placed in a hotel room overnight, and provided with food. Our records show that the children were in contact with their mother before being transported to the hotel and with their father the following morning before leaving on the continued flight. We understand how an unexpected delay caused by weather can be stressful for a parent and our goal is to help passengers get to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible." Ignash, who was waiting at the Orlando airport for her children that night, said multiple flights were diverted from Orlando, and "when that happens, it's just a madhouse." She got word that the children's flight was diverted, and tried calling Frontier's customer service line but says they couldn't get her information about her children. Ignash says she didn't get a call from a Frontier employee until the next morning. But an older unaccompanied minor on the flight let the children use his cell phone to call and text their parents. "Without that child, we would have had zero idea where our kids were," Ignash said. Ignash says an employee using a personal vehicle took the children to a hotel, where six kids from the flight stayed in adjoining hotel rooms. The parents say they do not know who the employee was who drove the children or stayed with them in the hotel room. "We never gave approval for that to happen," Etta and Carter's father, Chad Gray, said. Alan Armstrong, an Atlanta aviation attorney Gray contacted, said he thinks there should be procedures and personnel at the airport to handle the problem. "They just make it up as they go along," Armstrong said. Ignash said if parents decide to let their children fly as an unaccompanied minor, they should "understand what the airline's policy and procedure is and get a direct contact." Gray said the worst part was not knowing what was happening. "It was a bunch of circumstances that came into play all at the same time. I just don't think Frontier is prepared to handle all those at once," Gray said. "You like to minimize the risk that your kids have and you want to protect them. And not having any control over the process whatsoever, I think, is really, really frustrating." WSBTV.com contributed to this report. Cox Media Group<doc-sep>The parents of two young children have hired a lawyer after they say both kids were sent to another city and put up in a hotel by Frontier Airlines, all without their knowledge.Last month the two kids, ages 9 and 7, were put on a Frontier flight from Des Moines, Iowa to Orlando, Florida. But severe weather diverted the flight to Atlanta.The airline employees then decided to take the kids to a Holiday Inn and stayed with them in the room, with other unaccompanied children. "No one knew what to do," said attorney Alan Armstrong. "Then lastly, the policies and procedures, taking children off airport premises around 4 in the morning. "The children flew home safely the next morning.Through a spokesperson, Frontier Airlines said there was always a supervisor with them and that they notified their mother when the plane landed in Atlanta, but couldn't reach the father.The airline issued the following statement: "The safety of our passengers is top priority at Frontier Airlines and the well-being of unaccompanied minors is no exception. More than two weeks ago, on July 22, 2018, flight 1756 from Des Moines to Orlando was diverted to Atlanta due to weather. We continued the flight the following morning, and in keeping with Frontier's policy, the children were attended to at all times by a Frontier supervisor, placed in a hotel room overnight, and provided with food. Our records show that the children were in contact with their mother before being transported to the hotel and with their father the following morning before leaving on the continued flight. We understand how an unexpected delay caused by weather can be stressful for a parent and our goal is to help passengers get to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible."<doc-sep>
Two young children flying by themselves were taken to a hotel by an airline employee when the flight was diverted due to weather, according to their parents — who are angry the airline never gave them a heads up. The parents say they were not notified by the airline when the July 22 flight from Iowa to Florida was diverted to Atlanta, Georgia. They say they only knew that the plane had landed because of apps, and had no idea where their 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter were. "It was almost instant terror, you know, you're not with your kids, you're really out of control," said father Chad Gray. The children's mother, Jennifer Ignash, was waiting for them in Orlando. "A lot of emotions were going through my head. I mean, most of all, I think I just I felt helpless. I felt guilty for even putting them on the flight," she told NBC News. "I thought 'Are they scared? Are they warm? Do they have food?' I do not blame Frontier for the flight being diverted. I fully understand that. But I do expect communication." Carter and Etta Gray and their father Chad Gray with their step mother. Chad Gray The parents say they were first informed as to what was happening when their son Carter borrowed a cell phone and sent them a text message saying that he and little sister were being taken to a hotel. "No supervisor tried to call, no phone call, no emails, nothing like that took place so we were really in the dark," said Gray. Jonathan Freed, a spokesperson for Frontier, said in a statement that the family never notified the airline about their concerns and that the corporate office only found out about the incident when media outlets began contacting them. "In keeping with Frontier's policy, the children were attended to at all times by a Frontier supervisor, placed in a hotel room overnight, and provided with food. Our records show that the children were in contact with their mother before being transported to the hotel and with their father the following morning before leaving on the continued flight. We understand how an unexpected delay caused by weather can be stressful for a parent and our goal is to help passengers get to their destinations as quickly and safely as possible," Freed said. According to Gray, the children said they were only given Rice Krispies Treats and water, and were put in separate rooms along with other "unaccompanied minors." "My son ended up sleeping with a boy that was 5 years older than him," said Gray. There are no federal regulations governing children flying on their own — so each airline makes it own policy. "Parents need to definitely do a little bit more research and probably worry about this a little bit more," said Gray. "Because never in our wildest dreams did we think that this would happen."