Woman Was Not Stranded At O'Hare: American Airlines

(Editor's note: this article was updated after American Airlines refuted the woman's claims that she was left at the airport overnight.)

CHICAGO, IL — American Airlines refuted a claim by passenger Olimpia Warsaw, 67, who said she was abandoned overnight at O'Hare the night of Friday, Nov. 30. The airline says they reviewed surveillance video and found that she wasn't left alone overnight, according to reports.

WLS reported American Airlines as saying the footage shows Warsaw, who uses a wheelchair, was brought to a waiting area by an employee of the airport around 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Then, 45 minutes later, a family member picked her up, the airline said.

The airline also claims they saw Warsaw in the surveillance footage getting up out of her wheelchair twice to smoke cigarettes.

See the WLS video below:

Original Article (published Monday, Dec. 3)

A 67-year-old woman had a rough, long night at O'Hare after being abandoned and forgotten by airport personnel, reports say. Olimpia Warsaw, who uses a wheelchair and has Parkinson's and diabetes, was left stranded after her Friday, Nov. 30, flight was canceled.

Warsaw had flown into Chicago to attend a funeral. On the way there, her luggage was lost, causing her to miss a part of the funeral while she got new clothes, family member Julian Coltea said, according to CBS Chicago.

Then on Friday, Warsaw was set to fly back to Detroit. Claude Coltea, Warsaw's son, took her to the airport and got her to the gate.

“I confirmed with the gate agent that the flight was on time. Everything was OK. She said, ‘Yup, all’s fine. We’ll take good care of your mom,'" he said, according to the CBS report.

But her flight was canceled.

American Airlines assigned a porter to take care of Warsaw, who has difficulties communicating. They offered her a hotel room, but not transportation.

The porter's shift was coming to its end. He told her he didn't know how he could help her anymore, the report said, and he left. The airline said the porter is not an employee of theirs.

Overnight, Warsaw was able to ask a fellow passenger to help her use the restroom, the report said, as the porters were gone for the night.

The Chicago Department of Aviation, who employs the porters, was not immediately available for comment.

When Warsaw didn't arrive in Detroit, her family called American Airlines. Hours later, O'Hare security finally found Warsaw, still in her wheelchair, still dressed for her ex-husband's funeral.

"All we wanted was someone to pause and say ‘You know what, can we just make sure this human being is safe and then we can all go home," Claude Coltea said, according to the report. "Not one person did that."

Julian Coltea takes issue with the airline and airport's handling of Warsaw's care, as well. “I really think they need to revisit their policies for dealing with the elderly, for dealing with the disabled,” he said, according to CBS.

American Airlines spokeswoman Lakesha Brown said the airline was "very concerned" about the situation, according to the New York Daily News. “Our team did meet with her family there in Chicago as well as Detroit, and we have offered a full refund to the family,” she said.

They found Warsaw's luggage, too.

American Airlines has apologized to the family and are investigating.

Patch will update this article as more information becomes available.

Top photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images