Says mother of teenage passenger, who was allegedly not accompanied by Turkish Airlines officials, flouting aviation rules

For 13-year-old Vartika Jain (name changed to protect her identity), from Mumbai, a skiing trip to Geneva turned into a nightmare on her way back home.

Vartika, flying from Geneva to Mumbai, was not only left to starve for hours but was allegedly harassed by airline operators as well, all this despite airline officials being officially informed that she was an unaccompanied minor (UM). The global aviation rulebook says unaccompanied minors have to be escorted by airline officials and handed over to parents at destination airport or to another airline if he or she has to take a connecting flight.

1) 13-year-old Vartika Jain was flying from Geneva to Mumbai with Turkish Airlines

From Geneva to Istanbul

Vartika had to travel by Turkish Airlines on January 2 from Geneva to Istanbul and then onwards to Mumbai.

Turkish Airlines officials assured Vartika they would take care of her airport transfer at Istanbul.

However, the flight from Geneva was delayed by over three hours and Vartika missed her connecting flight to Mumbai.

When her mother, residing in Mumbai, contacted the Turkish Airlines officials at Istanbul, they allegedly said Vartika would be put on a Dubai-bound flight and then flown to Mumbai. Her mother said the official assured her that a reservation from Dubai had been done for her if she missed her connecting flight.

2) Without airline escort, she was allegedly stranded at Istanbul airportu00a0 and missed the connecting flight to Mumbai How do you like the new new mid-day.com experience? Share your feedback and help us improve. Read Next Story 24-year-old woman burnt to death for Scorpio car› Trending Stories Latest Photos Latest Videos Latest Web Stories ADVERTISEMENT Mid-Day Fast ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT