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A couple left their baby at an airport check-in desk after refusing to buy a separate ticket for the infant, CNN reports.
The unidentified parents were checking in at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel ahead of their Ryanair flight to Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday (January 31) and left the child behind on the airline check-in counter after it was revealed that the baby didn't have a ticket.
"These passengers traveling from Tel Aviv to Brussels presented at check-in without a booking for their infant," a spokeswoman for Ryanair confirmed to CNN via email. "They then proceeded to security leaving the infant behind at check-in.
"The check-in agent at Ben Gurion Airport contacted Airport Security, who retrieved these passengers, and this is now a matter for local police."
Ryanair's website said the airline has a policy in which "infants can be included in a flight reservation during the online booking process." A pop-up message appears on the website stating that there is an additional charge of €25 ($27 USD) or the local currency equivalent allowing parents to have their baby sit on their lap during a one-way flight. A seat must be purchased by separate arrangement if the parents choose to have the baby travel in a car seat.
Ben Guiron Airport issued a statement to CNN regarding the incident.
"A couple and an infant with Belgian passports arrived for a flight at Terminal 1 without a ticket for the baby," the airport said. "The couple also arrived late for the flight, once the check-in for the flight was closed. The couple left the infant seat with the baby and ran toward the security checks at Terminal 1 in an attempt to reach the boarding gate for the flight."
A spokesman for Israel Police confirmed that situation was resolved "the baby was with the parents," adding that "there's no further investigation" in a phone call to CNN.