18-year-old daughter, Rachel, left stranded at the airport while travelling on stand-by, after no one in extended family realizes she doesn't get on plane, mother blames young girl's aunt: 'They think it's my fault because I was the last one to board'

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Emma Saven
Jul 29, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

Entitlement at its finest, or a lack of responsible aunt duties?

These sisters are caught in a crossfire as one sister's 18-year old daughter is left unattended at the airport, without any family members realizing that she didn't make it onto the flight. After a weekend of wedding festivities, it is time for everyone to travel back home, across state, to make it back in time for their work weeks. A couple's three children are on standby for one flight, whilst they are on standby for another. When the one daughter doesn't get a spot on the plane, her mother is furious that the young girl's aunt was too hungover to notice that she was left sitting there, whilst the woman was the last name to be called for boarding. 

Some could argue that they aren't her children, nor her responsibility, so is it really her blame to endure? 

If someone's parents are so worried about their children being left alone in another state, maybe they shouldn't leave them there in the first place, making it everyone else's problem to ensure smooth sailing….or in this case, flying?

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  • Should an 18-year-old know how to board a plane or at least know how to speak to the airport staff if they are experiencing an issue? We would like to say yes…but not everyone is that capable. Or so it seems…

    So what better way to avoid awareness of your parenting skills, or lack there of, than blaming someone else for your children's problems? 

     

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    Cheezburger Image 10535535872
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02

    AITAH for not making sure my niece got on the plane home?

    My cousins wedding was yesterday. Early this morning, we all left on our flights back home. Several of us had the same flights back. We had standby seats
    via QuestionThis623
  • 03
    though, so we had to wait to the end to board. We also had one layover. We all got on the first flight no problem. Second flight everyone got on except my sister's daughter, Rachel (f18). We
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    didn't find out until we all got off the flight that she didn't get on and there were a bunch of texts from her saying she didn't know what to do. So her parents were
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    all trying to figure out what to do, but the next flight in isn't until tomorrow and they can't get her a hotel room because they require someone older to check
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    in. So she's stuck alone in the airport terminal until the next flight. My sister (Rachel's mom) and dad think it's my fault because I was
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    the last one called to board the plane. They think that I should have gone up and offered to let her have my seat first since she is basically still a kid and hasn't
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    travelled on her own before. Tbh I didn't even notice her there or who was left because I wasn't feeling great because I was hungover from the wedding. So I
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    had my eyes closed the whole time and was just listening for my name and not really paying attention to who else had already been called. They all knew I was
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    feeling bad to because they were making fun of me for it earlier. Still they think I should have noticed that Rachel was still sitting there alone, but at the
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    time I just wanted to quickly get to my seat so I could sit down and close my eyes. Also they're mad because they think that I had even confirmed that Rachel got
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    on because when I passed by my sister and nephew's aisle. She asked "all good?" and I gave her a thumbs up. I thought she was just asking if I was feeling okay, not asking if Rachel also got on.
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    I kind of wonder why I ended up being the one responsible for her just because I was the last one there. Which I asked them about because any of them could have
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    asked if Rachel could take their seat first, but they said no because they all had work the next day while I didn't.
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    edit. I should probably clarify that her mom (my sister was on the flight), but her dad (my brother in law) was not on the flight. My other sister and our cousin, and Rachel's two underage siblings were also on the flight.
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  • 17
    I_IdentifyAsAstartes NTA, you aren't her parent, not your responsibility. Would it have been nice? Yes. Was it her parents responsibility? Yes.
    via I_IdentifyAsAstartes
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    spambreath If she's not old enough to handle making her flights, her parents should've went with her. Not your responsibility to pick up the slack.
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    CallingThatBS ΝΤΑ They knew flying standby is the luck of the draw. They are responsible for their daughter you are not.
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  • 20
    Alert-Potato This is literally the risk of flying standby. If they wanted to guarantee she got on the plane, they needed to buy her an actual ticket, not a standby ticket. Also, she's 18. She is not going to come to harm by spending one night uncomfortable in an airport.
    via Alert-Potato
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    AlternativeSort7253 If you are not capable to travel alone you do not travel with unsecured seats.
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    Asbury ParkRules Her parents could have called a hotel in the area directly and spoken to someone. I'm sure under the circumstances a place would have helped her out.
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  • 23
    OkExternal7904 Wow. Rachel's mom blaming you is the tackiest thing I've read on Reddit in a really long time.
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  • 24
    Addicted-2-books I flew across the country by myself at 17 ended up with a 6 hour layover in a city I had never been to and didn't get to where I was supposed to be until 3am. This was before cellphones where a thing so I had to figure out how to get ahold of my aunt and uncle on my own.
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  • 25
    456name789 NTA. It's her & her parents responsibility. Also, flying stand-by when some of you need to work the next day? That's not a risk I would have taken, lol!
    via 456name789

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family drama transit drama airport sisters siblings askreddit left alone boarding confused Travel family sister stand by neice by-themselves flying
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