Couple abandons baby at Israel airport check-in counter instead of buying extra ticket: Report

A Belgian couple ditched their baby at a check-in counter at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport after arriving late for their flight and realising they needed a ticket for the infant, CNN reported on Thursday (Feb 2).

The pair were checking in for a Ryanair flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday.

They then left their baby in an infant seat at the check-in counter – which had closed by the time they arrived – and ran towards security checks in an attempt to reach the boarding gate for their flight, the Israeli Airport Authority told CNN.

Video footage of the incident that was taken on a mobile phone circulated online, showing airline staff uncovering a blanket in a carrier only to find the baby inside. A check-in clerk then reportedly said in Hebrew that the baby was left there.

Check-in staff contacted airport security, who detained the couple and referred the matter to the local police.

An Israeli Police spokesperson said that the matter appeared to have been resolved by the time police arrived on the scene. 

He told CNN: “The baby was with the parents and there’s no further investigation.”

According to the Ryanair website, passengers should pay €25 (US$27) for every one-way flight that an infant takes while sitting on an adult’s lap. Passengers must pay for a separate seat if they want the baby to travel in a car seat.

News agency Israel Today said that the family ultimately missed their flight. It is unclear if the parents were unable or unwilling to pay for an extra ticket for their child.