Girl on plane not able to use bathroom

[sonofanarchy]

Actually rules are rules, just because you were once on a plane and they once let a passenger use a restroom doens't mean it happens and a lot depends weather the plane is stationary or moving could move at any moment. Since you weren't there you don't know the situation and yes I will side with jet blue and please provide a link where this other pilot said they were wrong , all I read is he came to the womans defense about not getting ejected from the plane, but he didn't intervene when she wanted to get up

Again I will side with jet blue.

Posted earlier in thread:

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/04/23/dot-considering-lifting-3-hour-tarmac-delay-rule/

 

[Sparkly]

And I truly wonder when a 3 year old wetting her pants became a free ticket and $5000 contribution to charity?

Kids have accidents.

Hold the presses!!!!!!

I do think the visit to security "may" have been over the top; however, terrorists use women and children as tools. Perhaps they were to be a distraction while something more nefarious took place. As a frequent flyer, I'm glad the extra precaution was taken to speak with the mother and child after the incident.

Since everyone felt the need to make huge fusses and get attention over the slightest issues.

 

[IDoDis]

This past Tuesday I was on a flight with my mom and DD from NYC to Houston where we would then change planes. A little while after the beverage was served I had to go to the bathroom, but thought I could hold it another hour until we got to Houston. About 15 min. Later I was really uncomfortable (I had coffee on the flight), so I went to the restroom. Right after that we hit turbulence so no one could get up for the next 15 minutes.

While the seatbelt light was still on, there was a medical emergency with a passenger so the pilot turned the plane around and landed on an airstrip on what looked like a military base in Louisiana. The paramedics came and got the passenger off the plane, but we still had to sit there for an hour while the pilot "took care of paperwork." No one could use the bathroom because we were told that the toilets didn't flush when the plane was on the ground. My mom had to go pretty badly. She's 75 years old. They made her sit back down which she did.

Finally we took a off after over an hour of waiting and 15 minutes later after the seatbelt light went out there were huge lines for the bathrooms. I'm just so glad I decided not to try and hold it and went before all this happened. I would have passed out from pain or would have had an accident if I had to wait another 90 minutes. The caffeine from the coffee is what made me have to go so badly so quickly. My mom said she barely made it.

 

[CinqueTerre]

Actually, rules aren't rules here. I've been on planes on the tarmac, and they HAVE allowed people up to use the bathrooms when the delays have stretched into hours. It can be done, and is done probably every day.


Again, the OTHER PILOT on the plane said the flight attendant and the planes pilot were wrong and were overreacting.

Rules are always rules, otherwise there is no point in having them. Just because exceptions have been made in the past doesn't oblige the pilots to make an exception here.

As for the OTHER PILOT, who cares? The flight attendant is in charge of keeping order among the passengers. The pilots job is to fly the plane safely from point A to point B.

The mom behaved outrageously to mouth off to the FA and she did it multiple times.

I've actually noticed on my recent flights that passengers are either deaf, dumb, or defiant when it comes to following instructions. And I think FA's have had just about enough of people not doing something when they have been told to do it.

 

[Gracie09]

I'm sorry but why was the parent travelling with a newly toilet trained child without taking precautions in case she couldn't use a bathroom? I have travelled with newly toilets trained children and the only time we used pull ups were when they could be prevented from using a toilet - like on an airplane or even car travel. I've been on planes where the seatbelt light was on pretty much the entire flight due to weather. No one could get up at that time.

I'm with jetblue on this one. The mother didn't know where they were in terms of takeoff position. As for the other pilot he too had no clue what was happening in the cockpit. He shouldn't have interfered it wasn't his plane.

 

[sonofanarchy]

And I think FA's have had just about enough of people not doing something when they have been told to do it.

It's called work. If they don't like it, get a new job.

 

[sonofanarchy]

Can I just ask, since so many people are throwing it out there, where has anyone said that the mother was being obnoxious or mouthy to the FA? I've read several different articles and haven't read this.

 

[sam_gordon]

Can I just ask, since so many people are throwing it out there, where has anyone said that the mother was being obnoxious or mouthy to the FA? I've read several different articles and haven't read this.

From the original article...

And I said, ‘please give me a break. My daughter had an accident because you wouldn’t let me take her to the bathroom. After I clean it up I will sit down.’

Basically, regardless of what tone the mom used, she told the FA she wasn't going to obey instructions. That's a big "no no" when flying.

The MOM could have...
1) Made sure the child used the bathroom before getting on the plane
2) Notified the FA the child needs to use the bathroom RIGHT NOW and if that wasn't possible asked what could be done

The FA could have...
1) Been more understanding after the child had the accident (but I don't know what could have been done at that point).

 

[EMode]

It's called work. If they don't like it, get a new job.

The same can be said about unruly passengers who don't think they should follow the rules- Don't Fly

 

[luvsJack]

Everyone keeps saying its the mother's fault because she should have been prepared. So, at what point do you stop being "prepared" for this on a plane?

Some kids cannot wait 30 minutes if they suddenly have to go. Heck, many adults cannot wait 30 minutes if they suddenly have to go. And going 30 or more minutes prior doesn't have anything to do with it.

I don't read what she said as being obnoxious, I see it as "there is a mess here that I have to deal with".

If this is a rule that has been broken before and will be broken in the future, then no, rules are not rules. Obviously there are exceptions.

 

[EMode]

Everyone keeps saying its the mother's fault because she should have been prepared. So, at what point do you stop being "prepared" for this on a plane?

Some kids cannot wait 30 minutes if they suddenly have to go. Heck, many adults cannot wait 30 minutes if they suddenly have to go. And going 30 or more minutes prior doesn't have anything to do with it.

I don't read what she said as being obnoxious, I see it as "there is a mess here that I have to deal with".

If this is a rule that has been broken before and will be broken in the future, then no, rules are not rules. Obviously there are exceptions.

I'm not blaming her for the treatment she got but I do think she should have better prepared her small child for the flight.

 

[luvsJack]

I'm not blaming her for the treatment she got but I do think she should have better prepared her small child for the flight.

Actually, if I had a child that age and at that point in training, I would have tput pull ups on her, so I agree that she could have done things differently. We put pull ups on dgd if we go on car trips that may make it hard to find a bathroom so would definitely on a plane.

I would just imagine that long without the ability to go to the bathroom could be quite hard on a lot of people.

 

[Gracie09]

Everyone keeps saying its the mother's fault because she should have been prepared. So, at what point do you stop being "prepared" for this on a plane?

Some kids cannot wait 30 minutes if they suddenly have to go. Heck, many adults cannot wait 30 minutes if they suddenly have to go. And going 30 or more minutes prior doesn't have anything to do with it.

I don't read what she said as being obnoxious, I see it as "there is a mess here that I have to deal with".

If this is a rule that has been broken before and will be broken in the future, then no, rules are not rules. Obviously there are exceptions.

. A newly toilet trained three year is involved not an adult. And adult or even an older child barring a medical issue can hold it for a while. It may not be comfortable but it can be done. A newly trained child doesn't really have that ability so as a parent it is my responsibility to be prepared. That means if I'm not sure she will have access to a toilet on demand, I put her in a pull up or diaper just in case. On a plane it's even more important than day a car when in a dire emergency you can pull over and go on the side of the road.
When I trained my two girls they never used pull ups except at night and on a plane because you don't have control over accessing a bathroom on a plane. It's one of the few places where this is true, so you plan for it. There could have been turbulence and the seat belt light could have been on the entire flight ( I've had those flights). Then you are really stuck. Planes being held on the ground or delayed isn't new. Travel with a young child takes preparation, something in this case the mother failed to do. When did we stop making parents responsible for being parents.

 

[pioneer89]

Everyone keeps saying its the mother's fault because she should have been prepared. So, at what point do you stop being "prepared" for this on a plane?

Some kids cannot wait 30 minutes if they suddenly have to go. Heck, many adults cannot wait 30 minutes if they suddenly have to go. And going 30 or more minutes prior doesn't have anything to do with it.

I don't read what she said as being obnoxious, I see it as "there is a mess here that I have to deal with".

If this is a rule that has been broken before and will be broken in the future, then no, rules are not rules. Obviously there are exceptions.

I think you should be prepared to wait about 90 minutes if you are flying. I've seen plenty of situation where that is the case.

The mother may have said what she said in the sweetest possible way, but she is still telling a flight attendant that she is not going to comply with and order that has safety and security implications. I'd bet the FA could have given her a little slack, and explained the consequences of not following the order, but in the end, the mother would still have been required to comply.

I've been on a hand-full of flights where we were allowed to use the toilet while on the tarmac. In each case, we were parked out of the takeoff line. I've also been on a couple flights (pre-9/11) where we had to get out of line for takeoff because someone couldn't wait to go, and got up while taxiing.

 

[luvsJack]

. A newly toilet trained three year is involved not an adult. And adult or even an older child barring a medical issue can hold it for a while. It may not be comfortable but it can be done. A newly trained child doesn't really have that ability so as a parent it is my responsibility to be prepared. That means if I'm not sure she will have access to a toilet on demand, I put her in a pull up or diaper just in case. On a plane it's even more important than day a car when in a dire emergency you can pull over and go on the side of the road.
When I trained my two girls they never used pull ups except at night and on a plane because you don't have control over accessing a bathroom on a plane. It's one of the few places where this is true, so you plan for it. There could have been turbulence and the seat belt light could have been on the entire flight ( I've had those flights). Then you are really stuck. Planes being held on the ground or delayed isn't new. Travel with a young child takes preparation, something in this case the mother failed to do. When did we stop making parents responsible for being parents.

I am aware of what age the child is. Have potty trained many children and have traveled with all ages so I do get being prepared.

As I said above, I am in agreement that she could/should have done things differently. But, what if it was a 5 year old or a 7 year old? Would it then be the fault of the airline?

Some adults and kids cannot hold it for that long. What if they suddenly get sick? Does the rule still stick? What constitutes a bathroom emergency? If a 7 year old (or 70 year old) needing to go NOW is an emergency, why isn't a 3 year old needing to go?

ETA: I don't fly, so these are legitimate questions. At what point is it an emergency for the person?

Its a rule that you can't get up, no matter what. But, that rule can be and has been broken. So, again, not really a rule.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It's called work. If they don't like it, get a new job.

A Flight Attendant's work is the safety of the passengers.
Passengers are required to follow the instructions of the Flight Attendant. Travelers not wishing or willing to comply have other travel options.

Posters keep referring to the FA's response. Not having seen any indication of any contact with that or any other FA in any of the articles, all we seem to have is the mother's version of what was said and in what tone.

 

[Domo]

Reminds me of a problem I had a few months back.

• In plane
• Taxiing to take-off point
• Parent in front unstraps child, who gets up and starts bouncing up and down on his seat
• Steward comes along, states that the child must be strapped in for take-off
• Child is strapped in
• Steward turns back
• Parents unstrap child who starts bouncing up and down again
• Repeat umpteen times
• Finally, all the cabin crew gang up and threaten the family with being expelled from the plane which would return to the terminal
• That did the trick

 

[Gracie09]

I am aware of what age the child is. Have potty trained many children and have traveled with all ages so I do get being prepared.

As I said above, I am in agreement that she could/should have done things differently. But, what if it was a 5 year old or a 7 year old? Would it then be the fault of the airline?

Some adults and kids cannot hold it for that long. What if they suddenly get sick? Does the rule still stick? What constitutes a bathroom emergency? If a 7 year old (or 70 year old) needing to go NOW is an emergency, why isn't a 3 year old needing to go?

ETA: I don't fly, so these are legitimate questions. At what point is it an emergency for the person?

Its a rule that you can't get up, no matter what. But, that rule can be and has been broken. So, again, not really a rule.

If you have trained several children then you know they eventually get pretty adept at holding it when need be. By older five year old can probably hd it longer than I can at this point. Is it uncomfortable, sure but it happens. But when we fly I limit there liquid in take for several hours before and have them go right before we get on the plane because you never know when you could get in a flight when the seatbelt light is on the entire time and your stuck in your seat for hours. An adult who cannot hold it is responsible for making their own personal protection arrangements. There are commercials for the items all the time.
It's about personal responsibility.

 

[sam_gordon]

I am aware of what age the child is. Have potty trained many children and have traveled with all ages so I do get being prepared.

As I said above, I am in agreement that she could/should have done things differently. But, what if it was a 5 year old or a 7 year old? Would it then be the fault of the airline?

Some adults and kids cannot hold it for that long. What if they suddenly get sick? Does the rule still stick? What constitutes a bathroom emergency? If a 7 year old (or 70 year old) needing to go NOW is an emergency, why isn't a 3 year old needing to go?

ETA: I don't fly, so these are legitimate questions. At what point is it an emergency for the person?

Its a rule that you can't get up, no matter what. But, that rule can be and has been broken. So, again, not really a rule.

As mentioned before, if you're on a plane and have to stay in your seat, but have to go NOW, notify the FA. Don't get up on your own. The FA (with probable consultation with the pilot) will determine if an exception can be made.

 

[sonofanarchy]

The MOM could have...
1) Made sure the child used the bathroom before getting on the plane
2) Notified the FA the child needs to use the bathroom RIGHT NOW and if that wasn't possible asked what could be done

1.As a parent of a child with a spastic bladder, I can assure you, it's not that simple.
2.What else could be done? Roll done the window?