The father of a teenage girl who was traveling with her earlier this month claimed airline authorities suspected him of being a human trafficker.
Francisco De Jesus was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina on an American Airlines flight when the incident took place.
“We were going to go celebrate my oldest daughter’s graduation. You know, I mean, it was a happy time,” Mr De Jesus told NBC affiliate King5.
He said that after boarding the plane, he went to the bathroom and returned to find his daughter holding some wings.
“I got up to go to the bathroom. When I came back, my daughter had some wings. I was like, ‘oh, where did you get those from’,” he was quoted as saying.
He said his daughter informed him that a flight attendant had come to her while he was away and asked her several questions, including if she was fine, where she was going and who she was going to meet.
Once the plane reached Charlotte, airport security officials met the pair.
“As we’re deplaning, we’re greeted by several individuals. One of them who introduced himself as the head of security for the Charlotte International Airport,” said Mr De Jesus.
He said they were taken to the terminal where law enforcement officers said flight attendants are trained to look for the signs of human trafficking.
“At that point, my heart just sank,” he said.
The man said he was asked a few questions by the law enforcement officers who “saw the situation for what it was immediately”.
“They were very professional. They saw the situation for what it was immediately,” he said.
“My question that I would like to have answered is how did they get to label me as a human trafficker? I had my iPad; we were watching a movie. She had her phone. I mean, these are things that I thought a dad and a daughter traveling do.”
The airline told King5 in a statement that their staff is trained to navigate signs of safety issues and apologised for the misunderstanding.
“Our frontline team members are trained to navigate a variety of safety issues, including recognising the potential signs of human trafficking. We strive to create a positive, welcoming environment for everyone who travels with us and apologise for any misunderstanding that may have occurred,” the American Airlines statement said to the outlet.
The airline said it had reached out to Mr De Jesus, who also confirmed to the outlet having received their communication.
