WASHINGTON — A Georgia mother is demanding answers from Delta Air Lines after disturbing incidents occurred on her family’s flight earlier this month.
The airline is investigating what led a man to board the wrong plane at Washington Dulles International Airport earlier this month.
Lauren Benton told ABC News that she, her husband and their 9- and 6-year-old children were on their flight home from Dulles Airport when she noticed a man who appeared to be following her family throughout the terminal.
“My heart immediately started pounding – I didn’t know what this man was up to,” Benton told ABC News. “He was standing in the ladies’ room washing his hands and I was immediately alarmed.”
Benton said she tried to keep her distance, but when the family boarded the plane, the same man also boarded and sat directly in her row.
“My husband confronts him forcefully and asks, ‘Hey, is that really your seat?’ And the man says, ‘Yes, that’s my seat,'” Benton recalls. “The stewardess asked for the man’s boarding pass – he couldn’t produce it.”
The unidentified passenger was subsequently escorted off the plane. According to the Transportation Security Administration, there was no security breach because he had a valid ID and a boarding pass for another flight that same day.
Gerry Phelan, former director of security at several airports, told ABC News: “Delta should have made sure that the boarding pass matched the person in question, which they did. But it certainly did not match the flight they boarded at that time.”
In a statement to ABC News, the Atlanta-based airline said: “Delta has procedures in place for gate agents and flight crew to verify prior to departure that the individuals on board the aircraft are customers booked on that particular flight. Delta is investigating the matter internally and has been in contact with airport authorities in connection with that investigation.”
A representative of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Association also confirmed to ABC that police officers called to the departure gate spoke to the man, but no charges were filed.
“The passenger exited the aircraft and returned to the terminal to continue his journey,” officials said.
Benton said her children were traumatized by the incident and she is now warning other travelers to remain vigilant.
“Pay attention to your surroundings and follow your gut,” she said.
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