Couple leave ticketless baby at Israeli airport check-in

The pair, who have not been identified, were checking in for a Ryanair flight from Ben Gurion International Airport to Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday with the infant.

It emerged that the baby did not have a ticket, and the couple headed off to board the flight — leaving their child behind on the airline check-in counter.

The matter was referred to the police, a spokeswoman for Ryanair told News84Media in an email.

She said: “These passengers traveling from Tel Aviv to Brussels (31 Jan) presented at check-in without a booking for their infant. They then proceeded to security leaving the infant behind at check-in.

“The check-in agent at Ben Gurion Airport contacted Airport Security, who retrieved these passengers, and this is now a matter for local police.”

According to Ryanair’s website, “infants can be included in a flight reservation during the online booking process.” When making plans to travel with an infant, a pop-up message appears on the site stating that there is a €25 ($27) charge — or the local currency equivalent — for each one-way flight the baby takes while sitting on an adult’s lap. A seat must be paid for by separate arrangement if the adults want the baby to travel in a car seat.

The Israeli Airport Authority confirmed the episode to News84Media and said in a statement:

“A couple and an infant with Belgian passports arrived for a flight at Terminal 1 without a ticket for the baby. The couple also arrived late for the flight, once the check-in for the flight was closed. The couple left the infant seat with the baby and ran towards the security checks at Terminal 1 in an attempt to reach the boarding gate for the flight.”

A spokesperson for Israel Police told News84Media in a phone call that the matter appeared to have been resolved by the time the police arrived on the scene. He said: “The baby was with the parents and there’s no further investigation.”

News84Media’s Richard Allen Greene contributed to this report.