Former Olympic sprinter, Juliet Cuthbert, says she will be seeking legal advice to recover the money she used to purchase a ticket for a Spirit Airlines flight through a Kingston-based travel agency.

According to the former athlete, she purchased a ticket in December to have her 17-year-old son flown from Fort Lauderdale to Jamaica on Christmas Eve.

However, she said the airline refused to allow her son to board the plane, claiming he was an unaccompanied minor.

The Spirit Airlines travel policy on unaccompanied minors states that young adults ages 13-17 may travel alone on international flights provided that a notarised letter of consent is provided at the time of check-in.

Ms. Cuthbert told The Gleaner that her son missed the flight while efforts were being made to send a notarised letter to him, to indicate to the airline that he could travel alone.

She further explained that her son also missed a second flight out of Fort Lauderdale although the letter of authority requested by the airline had been sent.

"When he got the letter, they told him the ticket was not paid for," she said. "He didn't come home for Christmas, which was a big disappointment for me."

No resolution

She said she later bought a ticket on another airline for her son to come to Jamaica.

But despite several attempts to get back her money, Miss Cuthbert said the matter has still not been resolved.

When contacted by The Gleaner, Donna Gordon-White, general manager at Compact Travel Agency, told a different story. She said Miss Cuthbert's son had missed the flight because he got to the airport late.

Asked why he was not put another flight, she replied that there was only one flight that day. But Ms. Cuthbert has refuted this.

Futile Attempts

Responding to questions of reimbursement, Mrs. Gordon-White said that the money could not be reimbursed because it was non-refundable.

"I need my money back, the ticket was $23,000 and I can't just let $23,000 go like that. I need to get my money back," said Miss Cuthbert.

She said that she would be pursuing the matter legally if she does not get back her money.

The former sprinter also said the airline has no local-based contact to address her issue.

Attempts to contact the airline were also futile. When our newsroom dialled its 1-888-477-4748 number in Florida, we were unable to speak to a representative after waiting for more than 15 minutes.

The Fort Lauderdale-based low-cost carrier began operating in Jamaica last year November. The airline had a major impact on the Jamaican travel market, offering flights to Fort Lauderdale for as low as US$9.