Chicago

Traveling Chicago-Area Sisters, 9 and 13, Separated by Flight Attendant in Germany

Monika Gogola says it is not uncommon for her daughters to travel together with an airline escort, but this time something went wrong and they were separated.

"Something like this should never ever happen," she told NBC 5 in an exclusive interview Tuesday.

Gogola was waiting for her daughters to return from a month long trip to Poland, when she got a call from a family member saying that her 13-year-old daughter was alone in the Frankfurt airport.

The girls were visiting family and headed back to Lockport at the time.

"I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to think, my brain was out," Gogola recalled.

Olivia, 13, and 9-year-old Julia were traveling with an airline escort.

But when they landed in Frankfurt they were separated by a flight attendant.

The other one comes up and says 'sorry but you can't go with your sister,'" Olivia said of the airline worker.

Olivia was sent to multiple customer service representatives in the airport--none of which could help.

"I was scared I wasn't going to make it to next flight because I didn't know where to go and wouldn't come home," she said.

She eventually found the gate on her own where Julia was waiting.

"I thought I wouldn't find her anymore," Julia recalled.

A Lufthansa representative called the girls mother from the gate, but Gogola says that's not enough.

"Basically what they said is, the crew made a mistake and they're really sorry," Gogola said.

Now, with her daughters home safe, Gogola is speaking out about the unexpected dangers of traveling alone.

"I want everyone to know what happened, that's what I want," she said.

A spokesperson for Lufthansa was not immediately aware of the situation, but says they are now actively looking into it and working with customer relations.

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