HNL and ORF both serve major Naval bases, so I'd guess the moronic parent is the one getting deployed for a war cruise.

Helluva' long day for anyone, much less a child traveling alone.


In defense of the gate agents... multiple flights depart from the same doorway, with the jetway dividing about halfway down. It was not modified to that configuration, but purpose built that way for maximum utilization at lower cost. In other words, the agents were set up for failure. Humans being fallible, it was inevitable that this would happen.

A failure occured. Why? Was the agent not competent or stretched too thin? Red Coats work like six to ten departures at the same time, multiple operations from the same podium, multiple gate changes, little or no notice of said changes, little to no backup coverage for sick calls, and regularly work overtime that makes our duty day look like a cake walk. I can easily envision someone walking an UNAM down the jetway, trying to put out a couple other fires, hand the kid & paperwork to the FA (who is wrestling with her own challenges) and never, ever, realize the error.

Or maybe the agent was just too dumb/lazy to read the paperwork. (IMHO, probably not)