It all started like a simple flight back home. Marijose Gamboa, a 29-year-old Mexican citizen, was supposed to return home in Tuxtla Gutiérrez (TGZ) from Guadalajara International Airport (GDL) onboard a Volaris flight. Ultimately, she inadvertently boarded the wrong flight and ended up at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in the United States. What happened? Let’s find out.

Kevin McCallister would be proud

The young Mexican traveler was in Guadalajara waiting to board flight Y4 688 to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. Being a domestic trip, Marijose Gamboa did not carry her Mexican passport. As reported by local media outlets and One Mile At A Time, Marijose was waiting to board her flight when a Volaris employee sent her to a different queue. She obliged and eventually boarded what she thought was the right plane.

Instead, she boarded Volaris’ flight Y4 896, which leaves at around the same time as flight Y4 688 (both depart at around 16:40 local time). Once she was onboard the aircraft (most likely an Airbus A320neo with a capacity for 186 passengers in an economy configuration only), she found out that her seat was occupied. Marijose Gamboa told the Volaris crew about the situation, and they didn’t give it much thought, giving the woman a different seat. She relaxed, thinking everything was ok, and the flight departed.

Ooops: I’m going the wrong way

Instead of flying the 1,171 kilometers (728 miles) between Guadalajara and Tuxtla Gutiérrez (in a flight that lasts around one hour and 50 minutes), Mrs. Gamboa was onboard a 3,444-kilometer flight (2,140 miles and nearly five hours long) going in the opposite direction. She was going north instead of south.

Find the latest South American aviation news here.

Marijose realized something was wrong when she received an immigration form in English. This was about two hours into the flight, which should have also been a red flag. Nonetheless, Marijose requested help from Volaris’ crew, and they found out she was not supposed to be on that flight.

Fortunately for Marijose, Volaris stepped up and realized their mistake (how many people could have realized that she was boarding the wrong flight by that point?). In her TikTok account, she said that a member of the airline was waiting for her at the gate in Seattle. This employee accompanied her through the whole customs process, accompanying Marijose to the immigration hall. She was interviewed by immigration officers and escorted back to her flight. Volaris only operates one daily service between Guadalajara and Seattle, and she couldn’t miss it since she didn’t have a passport or a visa to enter the United States.

What happened in the end?

What seems like a crazy story had a nice ending. Volaris paid Marijose her ticket back to Tuxtla Gutiérrez via Guadalajara. Additionally, the US officers told the Mexican traveler there would be no negative record for her inadvertently entering the United States paperless. Simple Flying reached Volaris for comment. The airline wasn’t immediately available.

Have you ever heard of another story of a person boarding the wrong plane and ending up in another country? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Proceso, One Mile At A Time.

• 

  Volaris

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  Y4/VOI

  Airline Type:

  Ultra-Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Guadalajara International Airport, Mexico City International Airport, Tijuana International Airport

  Year Founded:

  2005

  CEO:

  Enrique Beltranena

  Country:

  Mexico