Mum claims 11-year-old ‘humiliated’ after being kicked off Air NZ flight due to paperwork error

Oliver Stephenson, 11, (left) with dad Elliott Stephenson and brother Eli Stephenson at the Hobart Airport. Picture / Supplied

The mother of an 11-year-old said her son has been left humiliated after a paperwork error led him to be kicked off an Air New Zealand flight as an unaccompanied minor.

Air New Zealand has admitted it made a mistake by letting him on board, but is adamant it is not wholly at fault for the mishap.

Australian mum Sarah Stephenson dropped her son, Oliver, off at Hobart Airport, which she has been doing for the past five years, so he could come to visit his grandparents in New Zealand during the school holidays.

“We filled out all the paperwork online that you have to do for the flight, doing everything as per normal,” Stephenson said.

They had to stay overnight in Hobart before the flight and began making the long trip home when they saw Oliver boarding, as she claims they had always done.

“We get a call as we’re just out of Hobart to say for the first time that our son can’t leave because of an arrival card [issue],” Stephenson said.

Stephenson claims she has never had to previously fill out the arrival card for her son and believed it was only available once her son had boarded the flight.

Air New Zealand general manager of short haul airline Jeremy O’Brien said, however, the arrival card was always filled out by the parents before check-in.

“This is a legal requirement for entering New Zealand, it must be signed by the child’s parent or caregiver,” O’Brien said.

The pilot would not allow him to fly and Oliver was taken off the flight, Stephenson claims, for reasons his frustrated parents could not understand at the time.

“He was taken off the flight and walked from the back of the flight where he should never have been at the back as an unaccompanied minor.

“He was at the departure gate waiting as an 11-year-old, traumatised, humiliated and embarrassed and just absolutely beside himself.”

A spokesperson for Air New Zealand admitted a mistake had been made by the airline by letting Stephenson through the gate, however, said the company was not wholly at fault.

“One of our processes is to advise parents to remain at the gate until a flight departs in case any unforeseen issue arose and they were required to help,” O’Brien said.

“The customer was boarded but our cabin crew identified that the customer did not have a NZ arrival card completed and this is a legal requirement for entering New Zealand.

“Our teams on the ground attempted to contact the parents multiple times via phone and they were also called via a public announcement at the airport, however, they had left the terminal.”

O’Brien said as the parents had already left the area when the signature was needed, the decision was made to take Oliver off the flight.

“We appreciate this may have been upsetting for the customer’s parents and our customer team has since been in touch with them and as a gesture of goodwill, refunded the fare paid.”

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.