A heart-warming family holiday to Jamaica turned into a distressing airport ordeal for an elderly couple from Ontario, Canada, after they were prevented from boarding their flight because they lacked official permission to travel with their grandchildren.
Airport Halt Shatters Wedding Plans
Aveta Gordon and her husband were filled with excitement as they prepared to board an Air Transat flight in December 2024, accompanying their grandchildren to a Caribbean wedding. However, their anticipation quickly dissolved into dismay when airline staff intervened at the boarding gate.
The critical issue was a missing parental consent letter. Gordon recounted to CTV News, "The airline asked for a letter for the grandkids to show I had permission to travel with them. I said, 'I don’t have one'." This document is a non-negotiable requirement for children traveling outside Canada without their parents or legal guardians.
A Costly and Heartbreaking Decision
Faced with the immediate refusal to allow the grandchildren on the flight, the couple confronted a painful dilemma. Compounding the difficulty, the children's mother—Gordon's daughter—was already in Jamaica as part of the wedding party, making last-minute authorization impossible.
With no viable alternative, Gordon and her husband made the agonising choice to purchase new tickets on another airline for themselves alone, leaving the disappointed grandchildren behind with relatives. "It was very sad. I'm a retired person and I wanted to give the grandchildren a trip with myself and I didn't get on the flight," Gordon expressed, her disappointment palpable. She added, "It hurts, it's so much money down the drain."
Airline Cites Legal Obligations, Refuses Refund
Now, more than a year after the incident, the financial and emotional sting persists. Gordon has been fighting unsuccessfully for a refund from Air Transat. The airline has formally denied her request, emphasising that travellers bear the ultimate responsibility for ensuring they possess all necessary documentation before a flight.
An Air Transat spokesperson clarified the company's position: "In this case, our records confirm that the children were traveling with their grandparents without a parental authorization letter, which is a mandatory requirement when minors travel without parents or legal guardians." They stressed that this rule exists "to comply with Canadian and international regulations designed to protect minors and prevent child abduction," concluding, "While we regret the inconvenience experienced, we must adhere strictly to these legal requirements."
A Strict and Specific Canadian Travel Rule
This requirement is not merely airline policy but a formal government regulation. According to official Canadian guidelines, children under the age of 19 traveling to or from the country without their parents or guardians must carry a signed and notarised consent letter.
The rules are precise:
- The letter must be presented in its original form, not a photocopy.
- It should detail the travel itinerary as comprehensively as possible.
- The government provides specific templates and guidelines online for constructing a valid letter.
For Gordon, a retired grandmother whose intention was simply to create a cherished memory, the experience serves as a stark and costly reminder of the intricate bureaucratic steps required for international family travel today.
