Travel mishap lands NJ woman 900 miles from destination with no passport in new country

A Gloucester County girl reached out to the Motion Information Investigative Group after a journey mishap landed her almost 900 miles from her ultimate vacation spot, in a special nation with out a passport.

Beverly Ellis-Hebard is a self-described seasoned traveler. She jets forwards and backwards from Philadelphia to her second residence in Jacksonville, Florida, usually.

“I fly as soon as each six weeks. I picked Frontier flights as a result of we flew so usually,” she stated.

Ellis-Hebard stated she arrived on the Frontier Airways gate for her flight on November 6, and the gate board learn: PHL to JAX.

Recovering from again surgical procedure and slower than traditional, she requested an agent if she had sufficient time to run to the restroom.

“She stated sure. You recognize, about 20 minutes,” Ellis-Hebard recalled.

Ellis-Hebard stated when she returned a short while later, she discovered the flight nearly totally boarded and the jetway door about to shut.

When she went to board her flight, the gate agent questioned the scale of her private journey bag, so she put it within the baggage sizer.

“I put it in and once I went to take it out my arm proper right here obtained all scrapped up. I used to be bleeding,” she stated.

She stated the gate agent then hurried her to board.

“She stated, ‘Come on, come on. Give me your boarding go.’ I’d say I took about ten steps, and she or he stated, ‘Are you Beverly Ellis-Hebard?’ I stated, ‘You simply had my boarding go. You simply checked me in. Sure!’ She stated, ‘All proper, go! Go.’”

As soon as in flight, her actuality set in.

The flight attendant tending to Ellis-Hebard’s bloody wound stated she’ll be capable to chill out as soon as they landed, in Jamaica!

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“I laughed. I stated ‘I’d like to be going there however I’ve a seashore the place I dwell,’” stated Ellis-Hebard. “She stated, ‘Take a look at me. This airplane goes to Jamaica.’ And I knew by the look on her face she wasn’t joking.”

Here is the issue: Ellis-Hebard did not pack a passport since she was staying stateside.

The flight crew advised Ellis-Hebard the flight to Jacksonville had a gate change, and she or he was now heading to the Caribbean.

She was additionally advised, “You are getting into a special nation with out a passport. That is unhealthy.”

In the end, Jamaican authorities allowed Ellis-Hebard to stay within the jetway, which she was advised is taken into account U.S. soil.

The flight crew remained together with her till the following flight to Philadelphia took off a number of hours later.

When the Investigative Group contacted Frontier Airways, they’d solely say the problem was addressed with airport personnel.

Additionally they supplied Ellis-Hebard a $600 voucher and refunded her unique ticket.

Ellis-Hebard advised Motion Information she actually simply needed an apology.

“It ought to have by no means have occurred as a result of I didn’t have a passport. The lady on the gate didn’t do her job,” she stated.

The Investigative Group reached out to the TSA, FAA, and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. All companies stated it was as much as the airline to match the passenger on its manifest.

Frontier Airways issued the next assertion in response to the ordeal:

“We prolong our utmost apologies to Beverly Ellis-Hebard for this unlucky expertise. We sincerely remorse that Ms. Ellis-Hebard was capable of board the unsuitable flight.

As a gesture of our apology, we now have issued a $600 Frontier Airways flight voucher tied to the identify Beverly Ellis-Hebard that’s legitimate for one 12 months.”