Toddler's Temper Ousts Family From Plane

[2Princes2Princesses]

For AIRTRAN to be issuing apoligies and offering compensations of new tickets something was not handled correctly, I dont know many that would do that. Its possible this child has a medical issue that was not so cut and dry to lable the kid a brat and the parents aweful. Many forms of autism and sensory disorder just require a minute to calm the child or for the parents to be able to hold the child. Have a heart people and thank god your children dont have this problem or your children in the future dont.

I didn't say she was a brat or they were awful. Three year olds get cranky. I know. I have been through 2, and have 1 now. I just think it is ridiculous to go on TV and lambast airline employees for following the law.

I remember when a certain celebrity drove away with her baby on her lap because she felt unsafe with the media, people went nuts and said the baby should have been in the carseat whether she felt safe or not. Which I do agree with. FAA regulations state that children over 2 are required to be in a seat and buckled for the plane to push back.

I am aware of the multiple medical disorders that may have prevented that. No, my kids do not have any of them, thank God. If they did, however, NY state would still require me to put my kids in car seats to drive. The FAA would still require them to be buckled. I would think if this child had any of those problems, the parents would have had a familiar carseat for her or something of that nature. I know on the DISabilities board here, parents with autistic and/or sensory disorder kids know what they need to do and take steps to ensure their child's comfort as much as possible on a plane.

I do not think this child had a disorder. And if, God forbid, my children ever had such a problem, I would not hold up a plane full of people. I would make the accommodation to get off and try again on the next flight. Not go on TV and say AirTran is bad for making us get off.

I think AirTran probably gave them the things they did because the family did not really do anything WRONG, they just would have held up the plane. AT probably did not want to strand a family in Orlando because their 3 yr old was cranky.

My sister flies with them almost exclusively and loves them. They were great with my daughter when she took her to SeaWorld in September. All my DD talked about for a week was how the pilot talked to her and gave her wings. They are still pinned on her coat. If this story influenced my opinion of Airtran at all, it was positive. They followed the law, they attempted to make things smooth for the family and for the other passengers.

 

[stacy6552]

AirTran has no credibility here. They lost it when they banned the family from flying for 24 hours. That is totally rediculous and indicates that someone was on a powertrip and applying drunk and disorderly rules, where they shouldnt have.

 

[TDC Nala]

Here's a link to a more detailed story from the Worcester (MA) newspaper. The family is from Boston.

3-year-old unnerves airline

It paints a more sympathetic picture of the family and includes an "apology" from AirTran:



It's tough to say exactly what happened, but I still tend to side with the airline on this one.

So next time the plane is going to wait until they "respectfully" get the kid into the seat? Maybe I will quit flying Airtran.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Interesting contrast between the two articles:
AP: "The Orlando-based carrier reimbursed the family $595.80, the cost of the three tickets, and the Kuleszas flew home the next day."
WT&G: "AirTran, meanwhile, has apparently had a change of heart. After the airline received a phone call Thursday from yours truly, an AirTran customer service rep called the Kuleszas, apologized profusely for the incident and refunded them the $595 cost of their tickets."
So, did AirTran refund their money at the time they were removed from the plane, or were they planning to keep the money and only refunded it due to the intervention of a hometown reporter?
My opinion? AP = fact, WT&G = local human interest baloney.

I think AirTran did the right thing.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

There are 112 other people with a slightly different version than Elly's parents...

When a plane is delayed it causes a domino-like effect on not only its passengers, but passengers of subsequent flights on that tail number. If a person (even a child) is unable or unwilling to follow federal laws in order to not interrupt the flight schedule, they need to be removed. Her parents cannot say how long it would have taken to get her in her seat. I am frankly surprised that her father didn't pick her up and place her in the seat. Who's 3? Who's 30? Helloooo! It's not like she wasn't already screaming.

Back to your regularly scheduled 3 yr old antics...

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

So next time the plane is going to wait until they "respectfully" get the kid into the seat? Maybe I will quit flying Airtran.

I can see just this:
Mom: please sit down.
Child: no.
Mom: I am asking nicely. Please sit.
Child: NO!!!
This goes on for 30 minutes, as everyone on the plane misses their connections.

Come on.....that article was nice. The guy who jokingly said, "Check her", the reporter had to mention he had no kids. My husband has kids and said the same thing.

I have 4 kids. They would have been buckled. Respectfully, disrespectfully, I would have shoved their butt in the seat and buckled the seatbelt. If the issue was fear of ear pain, I would have given my daughter some Tylenol and a sucker and told her that it would help with the pain and it was either fly or walk home.

Of course, I am the mean mom. Ask my 14 yr old, who is not allowed to have a cell phone, stay over at boy's houses, or just randomly go wherever she wants for hours on end without calling home. Aren't I cruel?

 

[swillis]

I'm so glad to see that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. I live in the Boston area, and all of the newstations did a story on this tonight. The parents said that the kid just all of a sudden started to scream.

I'm glad I wasn't on that flight (I really hate screaming kids, in any situation, but especially one that I can't remove myself from) I'm glad they were asked to leave the flight. I am not happy that they went to the media about this. I wouldn't be surprised if we see them file a lwasuit for discrimination, or pain and suffering or some other kind of bogus claim.

 

[ransom]

Of course, I am the mean mom. Ask my 14 yr old, who is not allowed to have a cell phone, stay over at boy's houses, or just randomly go wherever she wants for hours on end without calling home. Aren't I cruel?

Yes! You're restricting your daughter's growth ... into an unbearable, unlovable adult!

 

[disneyqt]

I have a 2 yr old grand-daughter. I love her dearly and she knows that. She also know when Mi-Mi tells her to do something, she better do. Because of her age, spanking is not an option, but I will take away certain snacks, toys, and movies. And she hates to sit in time out. That child's behavior was very unacceptable and the parents should not be upset with the airline. I would never allow a child to be in control or running the show. My grand-daughter knows I dont tolerate her acting "not nice attitude or behavior". If I had to take her off that plane, when she got on the next one she would be a new person!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mumzie2three]

I feel for the family. I hate flying with kids in tow. Nobody wants to sit near you, you have to keep them entertained for the duration of the flight (unless you dose em), one of mine was afraid of the toilets, the ears on takeoff/landing is never fun, and once I had a loose tooth issue that resulted in lots of whining but luckily no screaming or crying.
I do think if the family was given 10-15 mins to calm her that was sufficient. The only thing I don't agree with is the airline banning them from flying for 24 hours. That seems extreme. They should have been booked on the next available flight.

 

[dudspizza]

I have 4 kids. They would have been buckled. Respectfully, disrespectfully, I would have shoved their butt in the seat and buckled the seatbelt. If the issue was fear of ear pain, I would have given my daughter some Tylenol and a sucker and told her that it would help with the pain and it was either fly or walk home.

Of course, I am the mean mom. Ask my 14 yr old, who is not allowed to have a cell phone, stay over at boy's houses, or just randomly go wherever she wants for hours on end without calling home. Aren't I cruel?

That is what I am talking about teammate! Way to be the RIGHT kind of mom! Now, back to the WPASADI private board!! LOL

Duds

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

That is what I am talking about teammate! Way to be the RIGHT kind of mom! Now, back to the WPASADI private board!! LOL

Duds

Lack of WPASADI gets me ornery!

Actually, my kids are hoping the next challenge starts soon. I came back from the cruise and set them straight. My DH was slacking while I was gone.

BTW-I have been keeping one eye on the Private Board and this had me running over...I thought I missed the start of the next challenge.

 

[seashoreCM]

Regrettably there are times when children just don[t fit into society.

In this case IMHO there are just two solutions:

1. Force the child into her seat, buckle the seat belt, and let her have a good cry,

2. A parent take the kid with or without the whole family and voluntarily walk off the plane.

Society (the 120 odd other passgners) really cannot stand around and wait for the moment when one kid will (have been comforted and) fit in. Instead some children will just have to grow up as underprivileged kids.

But I really discard #2 out of my own opinion if the airline refuses to honor the tickets as-is on a later flight. This whole hoopla about change fees and nonrefundable tickets is part of the cause of the problem.

>>> When they tried to board the plane the girl became upset and did not want to board the plane. The mom thinks it was the memory of the ear pain that set her off.
Children become "afraid of things" largely because of a really painful incident regarding "said thing". Forcing the child into a seat and buckling the seat belt probably won't make for a painful incident but slapping or an earache probably will. Future manifestations could be in the form of the child's refusal to enter the plane door or the jetway door or even the airport door.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[supersuperwendy]

I see..just like usual... the Dis-ers have their extra tall soap boxes out.

yikes!

 

[NYBlue1]

I didn't say she was a brat or they were awful. Three year olds get cranky. I know. I have been through 2, and have 1 now. I just think it is ridiculous to go on TV and lambast airline employees for following the law.

I remember when a certain celebrity drove away with her baby on her lap because she felt unsafe with the media, people went nuts and said the baby should have been in the carseat whether she felt safe or not. Which I do agree with. FAA regulations state that children over 2 are required to be in a seat and buckled for the plane to push back.

I am aware of the multiple medical disorders that may have prevented that. No, my kids do not have any of them, thank God. If they did, however, NY state would still require me to put my kids in car seats to drive. The FAA would still require them to be buckled. I would think if this child had any of those problems, the parents would have had a familiar carseat for her or something of that nature. I know on the DISabilities board here, parents with autistic and/or sensory disorder kids know what they need to do and take steps to ensure their child's comfort as much as possible on a plane.

I do not think this child had a disorder. And if, God forbid, my children ever had such a problem, I would not hold up a plane full of people. I would make the accommodation to get off and try again on the next flight. Not go on TV and say AirTran is bad for making us get off.

I think AirTran probably gave them the things they did because the family did not really do anything WRONG, they just would have held up the plane. AT probably did not want to strand a family in Orlando because their 3 yr old was cranky.

My sister flies with them almost exclusively and loves them. They were great with my daughter when she took her to SeaWorld in September. All my DD talked about for a week was how the pilot talked to her and gave her wings. They are still pinned on her coat. If this story influenced my opinion of Airtran at all, it was positive. They followed the law, they attempted to make things smooth for the family and for the other passengers.

No need to take my post so personally, I never directly accused YOU of saying those things . Just trying to point out the posibility of parents with some more on there plate than what meets the eye. And for that matter comments being made on not the ENTIRE story. Its also possible the child was just misbehaving or having a meltdown, who knows.

I just think some of the responses here were a little insensitive when discussing the parents and the child or children in general, not saying the plane should have been held for a long period of time causing others to miss connections ect. I should have expressed my point more clearly.

Im sorry you felt I bashed your favorite airline, that was again, not my point at all and dont believe I bashed them in any way. If they felt they handled the situation correctly they would not have apoligised and given the free tickets. Aparently the story continued after the family left the airplane.

PS - I have 3 year old triplets , that were two year old triplets when they went on their first plane trip to disney, had car seats for just that reason as to not have any trouble. If they had i would have taken them off the plane. Now that I have read the entire story I see the complaint was really about the 24 hour banning not the getting off the plane. That was not right and airtran corrected it by giving them the free tickets.

 

[NotUrsula]

The 24-hr ban is SOP when an adult is thrown off a flight for disorderly conduct.

The reason for it is that most such incidents are fueled by alcohol, and the idea is that the person will be completely sober by then. (IME, people who drink in airports will drink in the airport the next day, too, but apparently the airlines haven't figured that part out yet.) Since I think this is the first widely-known incident of a child being asked to leave for disorderly conduct, they hadn't yet come up with a version of the policy that doesn't assume that the person needs time to sober up.

 

[mikron]

I think the airline did the right and only thing they could for the rest of there passengers. I have flowen with my grandson when he was 1 yr to now 12 yrs. old, he was a hand full (adhd) could not sit still. We took books, dvd player etc. to help him enjoy the trip. Would not blame airline, if I could not control him, and they asked me to get off. Sometimes I almost got off on my own so we wouldn't bother the rest of the passangers. I feal for the family, but there threat not to fly that airline again is good news for the rest of the people that will fly that airline.

 

[LeslieG]

I think Airtran was correct to ask them to leave the plane, but it sounds to me like the WAY they asked them was the problem. "Sir, you must leave the plane NOW." How about some compassion? Maybe, "I'm so sorry you're having difficulites, but the plane really must take off now, and since your daughter will not take her seat, we really must ask you to exit the plane. We will accommodate you on the very next available flight. Again, sir, we're very sorry." That might have made the difference in keeping this from escalating to what it has come to. I have small children too, and while they've never acted like that, let's have some compassion for these folks.

 

[tjmw2727]

I think Airtran was correct to ask them to leave the plane, but it sounds to me like the WAY they asked them was the problem. "Sir, you must leave the plane NOW." How about some compassion? Maybe, "I'm so sorry you're having difficulites, but the plane really must take off now, and since your daughter will not take her seat, we really must ask you to exit the plane. We will accommodate you on the very next available flight. Again, sir, we're very sorry." That might have made the difference in keeping this from escalating to what it has come to. I have small children too, and while they've never acted like that, let's have some compassion for these folks.

I think Airtran did all that and more. My impressions of course but from what I have read and gathered after watching the interview with the parents it seems that Airtran did all of the above. Only when family still couldn't (wouldn't) get the child into the seat did they react more firmly. According to the dad the more attention the toddler got esp from the FA's the more the child kicked off. So it did sound like Airtran was trying to help the family at least initially. Finally, the plane was ready for taxi and the family still wanted more time to calm the child.

I must admit at first I thought it was unfair of Airtran to remove a crying toddler. It was actually the parents version that changed my mind and led me to side with Airtran. They still don't undersand why they coudln't have had more time to try and get the toddler into her seat. What some of the media reports are missing is that it wasn't the crying that lead to the decision but the parents refusal to get her into the seat and belted for taxi and take off. The rest of the passengers are belted, everything is put away, FA's are ready for the safety speil and the toddler is still under the seats crying and hitting her parents who refuse to pick her up and put her into her seat. (according to the parents!)

Unfortunate for the family but I think the parents should consider taking more responsibilty for their part in this fiasco.

TJ

 

[LeslieG]

Well, I suppose that's true. The parents could have forcibly put the child into the seat, but then we'd probably be hearing about this in the news for a different reason, and the parents would be accused of child abuse. Seems our society doesn't want to tolerate bad behavior in kids, but yet how dare you spank that child! In fact I think I saw on the news in CA they're proposing a law that would make spanking kids under three illegal.