Woman Boards Wrong Plane In New Jersey, Flies 3K Miles To California

NEWARK, NJ — How was Lucie Bahetoukilae allowed to board a United Airlines flight in Newark and fly to San Francisco, even though she thought she was supposed to be going to France? That’s the question that has the traveler’s family questioning an apparent airline security lapse that resulted in a 3,000-mile, wrong-way plane trip.

Bahetoukilae’s unexpected voyage began at Newark Liberty International Airport on April 24, when she arrived at a United Airline boarding gate en route from Newark to Charles de Gaulle Airport, ABC New York reported.

But although Bahetoukilae didn’t realize it, due to a last-minute gate change, the plane she was about to board was headed for California.

If United made an announcement about the gate change, it was no help to Bahetoukilae, who doesn’t speak a word of English, according to her niece, Diane Miantsoko.

"If they would have made the announcement in French, she would have moved gates," Miantsoko told ABC New York, adding that her aunt allegedly didn’t receive an email from United about the change.

Instead, Bahetoukilae proceeded toward her original gate, where a United employee allegedly scanned her boarding pass and allowed her to continue toward her designated seat. But after making her way down the aisle, Bahetoukilae had a surprise waiting: there was someone else in her seat.

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Miantsoko said the mix-up could have been recognized at that point. But she told a reporter that a flight attendant simply moved her aunt to another empty seat on the plane.

The result? A 3,000-mile flight for Bahetoukilae and an 11-hour layover when she landed in San Francisco.

While the mix-up was an inconvenience for her aunt – who eventually made it home “on the next flight to Paris,” according to a statement from United Airlines – the real problem was the lapse in security that allowed her to board the plane in the first place, Miantsoko said.

“With everything going on this country, people have to be more careful," Miantsoko told an ABC reporter. "They didn't pay attention. My aunt could have been anyone. She could have been a terrorist and killed people on that flight and they didn't know, they didn't catch it."

"We deeply apologize to Ms. Bahetoukilae for this unacceptable experience," United Airlines said in a statement to Business Insider. "When she arrived in San Francisco we ensured she got on the next flight to Paris and refunded her ticket. Our customer care team has reached out to her directly to ensure we make this right. We are also working with our team in Newark to prevent this from happening again."

• See related article: United Passenger, Airline Reach Confidential Settlement In Dragging Incident
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• See related article: 2 Girls Denied Boarding By United For Wearing Leggings

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