Several years ago my daughter, grandson and I were going to fly to Cancun from Houston for a few days over a school break. Her ex-husband had given up custody several years before and never saw or talked to his son. We had three round trip tickets, but Continental Airlines would not let us board without a notarized statement statement from the father and did not tell us about it until we got to the airport to leave - nor would they refund the money.
Several years ago my daughter, grandson and I were going to fly to Cancun from Houston for a few days over a school break. Her ex-husband had given up custody several years before and never saw or talked to his son. We had three round trip tickets, but Continental Airlines would not let us board without a notarized statement statement from the father and did not tell us about it until we got to the airport to leave - nor would they refund the money.
This is the standard action of most airlines.
There is a lot of blather posting against the father here....but he has a very winnable case. The lawyers for Japan Airlines, if they are smart, are preparing a huge settlement for this man at this moment.
Most airlines check on international flights to make sure children are not being taken out of the country against parental or court orders. Continental and other airlines are already aware of the legal ramifications.