(CNN) – A couple left their baby at the check-in counter of an airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, after it arrived without a ticket for the child.
The couple, who have not been identified, checked in with the infant for a Ryanair flight from Ben Gurion International Airport to Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday.
It turned out the baby didn’t have a ticket, and the couple set out to board the flight – leaving their child at the airline’s check-in desk.
The matter has been referred to police, a Ryanair spokeswoman told CNN in an email.
She said: “These passengers, traveling from Tel Aviv to Brussels on January 31, presented themselves at check-in without a booking for their infant. They then proceeded to security and left the toddler at check-in.
“The check-in clerk at Ben Gurion Airport contacted airport security who picked up these passengers and this is now a matter for the local police.”
According to Ryanair’s website, “Infants can be included in a flight reservation during the online booking process”. If you are planning to travel with an infant, a pop-up message will appear on the website stating that there is a fee of €25 ($27) (or equivalent) for each one-way flight the baby takes seated in local currency) is charged on the lap of an adult. A seat must be paid for by separate agreement if the adults want the baby to ride in a car seat.
The Israel Airport Authority confirmed the episode to CNN, saying in a statement:
“A couple and an infant with Belgian passports arrived at Terminal 1 for a flight without a ticket for the baby. The couple were also late for the flight after check-in for the flight closed. The couple exited the car seat with the baby and ran through Terminal 1 security to reach the boarding gate for the flight.”
A spokesman for the Israeli police told CNN in a phone call that the matter appeared to be resolved by the time police arrived at the scene. He said: “The baby was with the parents and there is no further investigation.”
A mother saw her two-month-old not breathing after going through security at Newark Liberty International Airport. In response, officer Cecilia Morales jumped over the conveyor belt and performed the Infant Heimlich Maneuver.
CNN’s Richard Allen Greene contributed to this report.