Boy flies from Minn. to Vegas sans ticket

Officials at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport say a 9-year-old boy got through security, boarded a plane and flew to Las Vegas without a ticket.

Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan says the boy got off the light rail train Thursday morning, went through security screening, and got on a Delta flight to Las Vegas -- apparently without ever presenting a boarding pass.

"It looks like he may have gone though the security checkpoint with another family, so probably there was some confusion, some believed he was with another family when he went through," Hogan said. "And at the jet way to the flight it looks like he waited for a moment when the flight crew was busy helping other passengers to go down the jetway. That's the way it appears to be on the security footage anyway."

Hogan says by mid-trip the flight crew became concerned because the boy wasn't on a list of unattended minors. The crew called Las Vegas police, who took the child into protective custody. Hogan says the boy's parents couldn't explain why he would want to go to Las Vegas.

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