Airlines lose unaccompanied children all the time, says a former flight attendant, so she set up a company to help

Travelers Care

Thousands of travelers have had their flights canceled, delays and luggage lost because of staff shortages. Children are suffering as a result of the pandemonium.

The terminal at the Miami airport was shut down last month to find a missing child. The airline canceled a 10-year-old's flight but didn't tell her parents.

A former flight attendant who has more than 20 years of experience in the industry told Insider that it is very common for children to go missing. "Airlines try to minimize and cover it up but it happens frequently and I've seen it across all airlines."

People think it happens more than it actually does. The child becomes a priority when there are irregular operations during the Pandemic.

There have been so many bad situations that have gone unreported that it's not safe for children to fly alone. She says that outsourcing care can cause issues.

It happens all the time because of misinformation andmiscommunication. Staff go off of what someone has said if they don't have access to the system.

Three years ago, Cawley decided to start her own company, Travelers Care, to help vulnerable passengers travel safely.

Her mother was traveling alone from Jamaica to the US. There wasn't anyone there to help her use the bathroom.

A passenger was dropped off at the airport but appeared to have Alzheimer's and was left at the airport with no one to travel with. "That was the last straw for me, so I quit my job and started Travelers Care and began flying with vulnerable passengers myself."

The way the service works is like a passenger is flying with a loved one, as they purchase an additional ticket for a companion and pay for their return as well as a fee.

Travelers Care will take pictures of the child or vulnerable passenger and send them to us using the internet. They let their family know when they have eaten so they don't have to worry about it.

Cawley says that there are several reasons why these incidents occur, with the reason often boiling down to staff deviating from airline policies and procedures. Staff who work long hours and are tired tend to make mistakes.

It can be caused by not sharing information between agents. Children can be let off planes alone or left wandering in baggage reclaims because of this.

Cawley says flight attendants may be on their last leg home and abandon a minor if they think other staff will take care of the handover.

An older child may take off their lanyard to blend in with other passengers.