A family who traveled from Los Angeles to Puerto Rico says Spirit Airlines prevented them from boarding because their toddler didn’t have a passport. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and the flight is classified as domestic.
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Marivi Torres and her family were traveling to Puerto Rico to visit relatives when they were stopped by airline officials at Los Angeles International Airport on April 25. She says the counter agent asked for their passports and they explained that passports were not requited because the island is a U.S. territory. Torres and her husband, Luis, showed their passports to the agent. However, the agent prevented them from boarding because their two-year-old son didn’t have his passport but the couple explained that they didnt have one for him yet.
The agent told them that they were unable to board the flight and were given the option to have the flight refunded or rescheduled once their son recieves a passport. Torres said she asked to speak with a supervisor but no one assisted her with the issue.
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At the last minute, Torres decided to buy tickets for a JetBlue flight despite the fares being expensive but the family wanted to make sure they reached their destination. Spirit Airlines has issued an apology for the agent’s error and said they were a recent hire who reportedly misunderstood the identification requirements as reported by the Daily Mail.
‘In this specific case, an agent at LAX who is new to the position misunderstood the identification requirements. We are providing the agent with additional coaching and reiterating proper procedure. We sincerely apologize to our Guest and their family for the inconvenience, and we issued a refund for the tickets and provided them with future travel vouchers.’
Torres said she will no longer book with Spirit Airlines due to the incident: ‘I do not feel like I’m going to book with Spirit anymore. I think that my trust was broken there on something that should not have happened,’
Social media users also responded to the agent’s error and some said they wasn’t surprised by their actions.
That agent probably thinks you have to stop at a currency exchange before traveling to New Mexico or Hawaii.
— 🏳️🌈Fluffy Wuffy🏳️⚧️ (@primarylupine) May 20, 2023
How does the airline agent and the supervisor not know that you don’t need a passport to travel to Puerto Rico? You learn that Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the U.S.A. in the 3rd Grade. The airline agent not knowing is one thing. The Supervisor not knowing is inexcusable.
— Albert Gattullo (@algattullo) May 18, 2023
When did Puerto Rico become a U.S. territory?
Puerto Rico became a US territory in 1898, following the Spanish-American War. The war began on April 21, 1898, when the United States declared war on Spain. The war ended on December 10, 1898, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
Under the terms of the treaty, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. Puerto Rico was initially governed by a military governor, but in 1900, the Foraker Act established a civilian government on the island. The Foraker Act gave Puerto Rico a limited degree of self-government, but it also allowed the United States to control the island’s trade and finances.