I-Team's Call for Action helps family stranded at Logan Airport after American Airlines loses child car seat
SALEM, N.H. – The Brigham family is home for the holidays, but getting there from Logan Airport wasn't easy after American Airlines lost their baby's car seat.
"The last known location was scanned in in Maui, at the airport. That seemed to be the end of the trail," Matt Brigham told WBZ-TV.
That trail started 20 hours earlier in Hawaii. It was a trip of a lifetime with extended family that was delayed two years due to COVID restrictions. But that vacation glow wore off quickly when they found themselves with no way to safely drive their 11-month-old son Parker home from the airport to Salem, New Hampshire.
"They offered us first an infant bassinet-style car seat which, honestly, he's too big for now, but without a base to click it into the car," Brigham said. "Their second effort, after much waiting and searching, was a 5-year-old child booster seat."
Brigham said that option was designed for a much older child. He also said at one point an American Airlines employee suggested either he or his wife take an Uber to Walmart and buy a car seat.
"That's where I really started to question why do we not have protocols for when this situation happens? Baggage gets lost every day," Brigham said.
Data from the Department of Transportation shows that in just the month of May this year, airlines mishandled nearly 238,000 bags.
Most major airlines contract with a vendor that handles customer checked luggage and usually have loaner car seats available when one gets lost. But when the Brighams needed one, American Airlines didn't have the proper size.
The Brighams were eventually able to get Parker home safely that day after United Airlines offered them one of their loaners.
"They had a whole rack of car seats with 'loaner' written right on them," Brigham said.
When the WBZ's I-Team reached out to American Airlines, the company responded with this statement:
We want all of our customers to have a positive experience when they fly with us, including families with young children. We sincerely apologize to the Brigham family for the issues they encountered on a recent trip. We've also reached out to our team at the airport to ensure car seat loaners are readily available.
American Airlines told the I-Team it will reimburse the family for their lost car seat.
Experts say if you are traveling with a car seat, consider asking if you can check it at the gate. That makes it much more likely it will arrive at your destination.