Woman takes in father, newborn stranded by airline

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- A Cleveland man and his 4-day-old daughter weren't allowed to board a Frontier flight, stranding the two in Phoenix without a place to stay for several days.

Rubin Swift flew down from Ohio to pick up his baby daughter Ru-Andria who he just gained custody of, KTVK reports.

Swift says he spoke with Frontier about what he needed to do to get the baby on the plane, which included a birth certificate and a note from the hospital saying she is clear to fly. Swift showed us all the documentation that shows Banner University Medical Center cleared the girl to travel.

Swift went to the airport with his daughter and got his plane ticket and when he reached the gate they wouldn't let him onboard.

"I asked for my money. They said it would take seven days to get your money back," Swift said.

We reached out to Frontier Airlines about this incident. The airline says that it has a policy where a child has to be at least 7 days old to fly.

Swift says he didn't have any money to stay somewhere or rent a car to drive back to Ohio. He was in a tough spot. But it turns out that Swift has a guardian angel. While his daughter was in the NICU at Banner, he met a volunteer who helped out there, Joy Ringhofer. She helped take care of the baby while at the hospital.

"I was rocking her when her father came in and we sort of made a connection right away," Ringhofer said.

Swift, while out of options and stuck at the airport, called his new friend for help. He was surprised by her response.

"I didn't expect her to say, 'I'm coming to get you and take you home.' So, I'm thinking, 'She is going to drive me back to Cleveland' but she actually brought me to her house and feeding me and making sure my baby is alright," Swift said.

So, he had a place to stay until his daughter was at least 7 days old. It's a story of love and compassion and friendship. It's a bond that both will never forget.

Swift is even calling her the grandmother of his daughter.

Frontier Airlines told Arizona's Family, "To comply with Frontier policy regarding the age of traveling infants these passengers were rebooked on a Frontier flight departure on March 20. We also waived any change fees associated with this change so the passenger can travel in accordance with our policy."

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