Teen with Down Syndrome booted from flight

[pigletgirl]

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/teen-down-syndrome-deemed-flight-risk-parents-fight-195700056.html

AA should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[supercarrie]

As with all stories like these, it appears there are two different versions of events. The truth almost always lies somewhere in the middle.

I am not defending AA, as I wasn't there to witness it, obviously. But IF he was causing a disturbance as they say, I can see their point.

It will be interesting to see if other passengers who were ticketed for the flight and in the gate area publicly comment. I am sure they will, as I assume this story will quickly make headlines.

 

[donaldlovesdaisy]

If that in fact is the complete story then yes they should be.

 

[Hannathy]

I think until all the real info and not opinions comes out it is impossible to say. The airline says he was running around and agitated. The family says he wasn't

Right now it is one's word against the other. It is also very convenient that the Father is a lawyer.


If the young man was running around and agitated then the airlines have the responsibility to their other passengers not to be disturbed by a person the size of an adult running around the plane and screaming. And of course the parents are going to only record when he was at his best.


It doesn't make sense for the airlines to do if he was calm, since there is no way they want to deal with this firestorm, If he was calm all they care about is getting the money. They don't want bad publicity or lawsuits.

 

[jcieutat]

Wait for all the facts to come out before passing judgement. Airlines are very strict for a reason. Once you get in the air, it is hard to handle situations. Their policies are not bent for anyone, including individuals with special needs.

 

[Poohforyou]

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/teen-down-syndrome-deemed-flight-risk-parents-fight-195700056.html

AA should be ashamed of themselves.

Why? According to them they refused to allow an agitated passenger from flying. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen. However if it is the airline is well within their right to do so.

 

[ilovepcot]

It doesn't make sense for the airlines to do if he was calm, since there is no way they want to deal with this firestorm, If he was calm all they care about is getting the money. They don't want bad publicity or lawsuits.

Exactly.

 

[Jennasis]

Having flown with MANY intellectually disabled individuals, I can say that sometimes stuff happens but the airlines have protocol in place and must follow it and rightfully so. I have had one of my charges become agitated to the point where I was certain there'd be LEO's waiting for them at the terminal (but luckily I was able to get them subdued enough).

If the young man was causing a disturbance, then he should be removed.

 

[disneyshakeygirl]

There is always three sides to every story - side A, side B and the truth. I'd like to know the entire story. I have have a feeling that this is one of those stories that is going to not end up nicely, as the opinions will be split.

If AA was in the right, then I do not blame them. If they were not, then the situation needs to be dealt with.

 

[FireDancer]

The airline industry is up there as one of the ones I hate most but I really don't think this article is painting a complete and accurate picture.

 

[Planogirl]

Airlines are strict nowadays.

A guy raised his voice and fussed at a flight attendant over nothing just before a recent flight. Before we could leave a security person and a few others had a conversation with the man. They decided that he could fly but it was touchy for a few minutes.

I'd want to know exactly what happened here before I'd blame AA and I'm no fan of theirs!

 

[sparklynails23]

He was probably acting like an obstinate 4 year old and they didn't want that in First Class. Why didn't they upgrade them on the other flight? I bet the American flight crew didn't plan on the mom having video.

 

[blana]

Why didn't they upgrade them on the other flight?

Maybe because first class was full already on the other flight, but coach wasn't? Not saying it was, but it's a possibility.

 

[rgf207]

Not making any judgement until I get the full story. The media is too quick to jump on these headlines without having the full story first.

 

[sam_gordon]

He was probably acting like an obstinate 4 year old and they didn't want that in First Class. Why didn't they upgrade them on the other flight? I bet the Jet Blue flight crew didn't plan on the mom having video.

The video won't play for me, but I'm guessing it shows him sitting calmly for 30 seconds to a minutes. That doesn't mean he was calm the whole time. I'm also reserving judgement until we get some other information.

 

[crashbb]

Maybe because first class was full already on the other flight, but coach wasn't? Not saying it was, but it's a possibility.

American and United are not partner airlines (i.e. not part of the same alliance), so I'm not sure how they ended up on the United flight in the first place (usually, an airline will switch you to one of their flights or one of their partner airlines). However, since the two airlines are not partners, an upgrade coupon (or eligibility based on Frequent Flyer status) on American, would be meaningless on United. Since the article says "their first class upgrade wasn't applied", I am assuming that they purchased Coach seats and upgraded somehow (certificate/status) as opposed to actually purchasing a First Class seat.

As with other PP, I want to know the other side(s) of the story, before passing judgement.

 

[crashbb]

He was probably acting like an obstinate 4 year old and they didn't want that in First Class. Why didn't they upgrade them on the other flight? I bet the Jet Blue flight crew didn't plan on the mom having video.

Jet Blue had nothing to do with this. The original flight was on AA and he was put on a flight on United.

 

[luvmy3]

I'm sure there is alot more to the story than what the parents have decided to share with the media.

 

[rgf207]

Here is a statement that American Airlines sent to the Consumerist website (http://consumerist.com). There are more than 1 side to every story

STATEMENT FROM AMERICAN TO CONSUMERIST

The young man was very excitable and running around the gate area prior to boarding. Our pilot noticed and asked a Customer Service Manager to talk to the family to see if we could help him calm down and get better acclimated to the situation. That effort was ultimately unsuccessful, and we made the decision to have the family rebooked on a different flight out of concern for the young man's safety and the safety of other passengers. The family chose not to fly American, so we helped re-accommodate them on another carrier's flight to Los Angeles.

Asking the... family to take a different flight was a decision that was made with careful consideration and was based on the behavior of the teen. Our Newark customer service team worked with the family in an attempt to make Bede as comfortable as possible. Unfortunately, the crew determined he was still agitated, and at that point the [family members] were asked to take an alternate flight...

[W]e will be refunding the upgrade fees.

 

[kaytieeldr]

He was probably acting like an obstinate 4 year old and they didn't want that in First Class. Why didn't they upgrade them on the other flight? I bet the Jet Blue flight crew didn't plan on the mom having video.

I bet the JetBlue crew didn't give a rat's patoot what the mother had or did - given that this family was flying on American Airlines. jetBlue doesn't even have multiple classes on its planes. And the other flight was on a different airline - also not jetBlue (United). You'll have to ask the two legacy carriers involved why the family was seated where they were.

You know, you can get injured jumping to conclusions like that...