My family was followed onto a flight home by a man, I knew something was wrong – the next thing we were hauled off jet

A MOTHER of two children said her family was followed onto a flight by a man who had a ticket for another journey.

Lauren Benton was flying home from Washington Dulles International Airport but said she noticed an unknown man following her from the TSA checkpoint.

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Benton said she was flying to Georgia with her husband Nathan and two children, ages six and nine, on August 2.

The mother explained she realized a man stood close to her family at the TSA checkpoint has followed them when they left the area.

Benton claimed the unknown person even went into the women’s bathroom when she was there with her daughter, according to USA Today .

The mother added that the man followed them to their gate and boarded their Delta Air Lines flight.

“My heart sunk down into my stomach,” Benton said.

“With our children we were trying to create the perception that they were safe at all times.”

Benton said she discretely altered a flight attendant when she noticed the man sat in the same row as them.

This man allegedly made it onto the family’s aircraft with a ticket for another flight.

Delta confirmed that it has opened a probe into how he was able to board the flight.

The TSA confirmed to The U.S. Sun that the man had a valid boarding pass and ID for another journey that day.

Benton claimed there was a major security response to this incident.

The man was escorted off the flight and the plane had to be evacuated.

As the man did not have a ticket for that Delta flight a security sweep was conducted, which took around two hours.

The TSA told Benton that it opened an investigation into the incident.

Travel horror stories

Althought most flyers do not encounter major issues on their travels, some people have had had terrible experiences, The U.S. Sun has previously reported.

• Flyers on a United Airlines plane were shocked when a passenger appeared to bite a flight attendant in mid-air .
• An American Airlines plane had to make an emergency landing after a bathroom on board overflowed .
• A shocking video showed how a Delta and American Airlines flight came within feet of crashing into one another in the air.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the organization that operates Dulles International Airport, confirmed the man was escorted off the plane.

It told The U.S. Sun that police spoke to the man but no charges were filed against him and he was able to travel on his original flight.

Delta shared a statement on the incident and its investigation to USA Today.

“Delta has processes in place for gate agents and flight crews to verify that individuals onboard aircraft prior to departure are customers that are booked on that particular flight,” Delta said.

“Delta is reviewing the matter in question internally and has been in touch with airport authorities in conjunction with this review.”

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Delta Air Lines for comment.