"I don’t know if I’m going to see my baby again," the mother said
Credit: FOX19 NOW Cincinnati
NEED TO KNOW
- A Kentucky mother says American Airlines denied her family gate passes to say goodbye to her son before deployment
- The family planned a final meal together before her 18-year-old son left for a seven-year deployment in Spain
- American Airlines apologized and offered $75 credits, but the mother said she hopes no other families face similar pain
A Kentucky mother claimed American Airlines interfered with what was supposed to be a special family send-off for her son being deployed overseas with the U.S. Navy.
Kelsey Wood of northern Kentucky said she and her family planned to spend their final moments with her 18-year-old son Brennen Phillips before he was deployed to Spain, when American Airlines allegedly denied gate passes to the family, preventing them from accompanying Brennen beyond the security checkpoint.
“We're all Americans. Our military is why we have what we have. They fight for our country, and our world has come to this, and I'm like, where's your heart?” Wood said in an interview with Fox 19 published on Thursday, May 21.
The mother said the family planned to get guest passes at the gate and share a final lunch with her son before his flight. But at check-in, Wood says employees questioned the family and refused to issue them passes.
“Does his orders state he is being deployed? They did in fact state that. We were told they did not. They said there was no return date. That's because he's not returning,” Wood said.
She told the outlet that she then walked over to the United Airlines gate, where she received a gate pass, but could not use it since her son was flying with American.
“You cannot tell me no because it's not a possibility, because I was handed one. It's not an airport thing. You could do it. You just didn't want to,” Wood told Fox 19. She said the family had to say goodbye to Brennen at the security checkpoint.
Credit: Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty
“Everybody's watching. I'm nervous. I'm in tears. I don't know [when] I'm going to see my baby again… or if I will,” Wood added.
Brennen made it safely to Spain, and Wood filed a complaint with American Airlines, which responded in an email.
"Please accept my apologies again for what you and your family went through at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport during such an important and emotional moment. As a mother and a military family member, your words are deeply moving, and I sincerely regret that your farewell with your son was made more difficult by this situation," an American Airlines spokesperson wrote to Wood in an email shared with Fox 19.
"We will share your experience with the appropriate leadership teams to ensure additional review, coaching, and reinforcement of guidance around gate pass procedures, particularly when supporting deploying service members and their families."
The airline ultimately offered a $75 credit for each family member involved.
American Airlines did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Wood said her son is not expected to return to the U.S. until the summer of 2030.
"We were going to say goodbye, eat our lunch together, have those last laughing moments together, the last hugs, the last pictures," she told WLWT. "But it all ended in tears and chaos."
"I just don't want any other families to endure the pain, that's the main thing," she continued.
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