A family's trip to Jamaica never made it past the airport after an elderly couple failed to prove they had permission to travel with their grandchildren.
Aveta Gordon and her husband were thrilled to travel with their grandchildren from Ontario, Canada, to the Caribbean country for a wedding in December 2024, but they were quickly stopped in their tracks when they went to board an Air Transat flight.
Gordon and her husband had everyone's tickets, but were missing a crucial document that would've seen them get on the plane without an issue.
'The airline asked for a letter for the grandkids to show I had permission to travel with them,' Gordon told CTV News. 'I said, "I don't have one".'
The couple had to quickly decide what to do next as the children were not allowed on the flight without the required letter.
When traveling outside of Canada, a consent letter that shows a child has permission to travel without their parent or guardian must be presented to allow them to fly with others.
And by the time they discovered this, their daughter and the mother of their grandchildren was already in Jamaica because she was part of the wedding party, Gordon said.
She and her husband decided to purchase new tickets with another airline and left their grandchildren at home with relatives.
Gordon was excited to take them to the Caribbean Island for a wedding at the time, but because she did not have a letter of consent to take them without their parents or guardians, they never made it.
Gordon was left heartbroken that she couldn't give them the experience she had hoped for.
'It was very sad. I'm a retired person and I wanted to give the grandchildren a trip with myself and I didn’t get on the flight,' she told the outlet.
Gordon added: 'It hurts, it's so much money down the drain.'
Although the mix-up happened more than a year ago, Gordon said she has yet to receive the refund she requested from Air Transat.
The airline denied her request for her money back, telling the outlet it is the traveler's responsibility to have all required documents in order before a flight.
'In this case, our records confirm that the children were traveling with their grandparents without a parental authorization letter, which is a mandatory requirement when minors travel without parents or legal guardians,' an Air Transat spokesperson said.
They noted that the rule is set in place 'to comply with Canadian and international regulations designed to protect minors and prevent child abduction.'
'While we regret the inconvenience experienced, we must adhere strictly to these legal requirements, and unfortunately, boarding cannot be permitted without the appropriate authorization,' the spokesperson concluded.
Now, nearly more than a year later, Gordon is continuing to fight for a refund from Air Transat. The airline has already denied her a refund, stating it is the traveler's responsibility to have all required documents in order before their flight.
Canadian children under the age of 19 who are traveling to or from the country without their parents or guardians are required to have a signed, notarized consent letter with them, according to the government website.
That letter must be presented to officials in its original form, not as a copy.
The document must detail the trip as much as possible. Guidelines on how to construct one properly are listed on the website.
The Daily Mail contacted Gordon and Air Transat for comment.