Toddler's Temper Ousts Family From Plane

[tjmw2727]

Yes - I see what you mean. My impression is they just seem very wishy washy even when they tried to explain what happened. Y

You can pick up a child and put them in an airplane seat or even a carseat without spanking or being disrespectful to them. They had already tried pleading and bribing and the child wasn't budging. At this point it was either pick her up and put her in the seat or take her off the airplane. The toddler was running that show for sure!!

We don't spank but I think the CA law is just silly too!!

TJ

 

[vatmark]

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?

BRAVO!!!!!

Annie

 

[matysgrandma]

I support AirTran 100%. A couple of years ago we were flying to Fort Myers and there was a family with a newborn infant and what appeared to be a little guy around 3. He screamed from the time they boarded the plane til we landed, and I mean SCREAMED. He sat ONLY as long as it took the plane to take off and then was running around while he was screaming!!!! It was a total nightmare when he realized he had to be seat belted in to land. We sat directly behind the family for a while and then asked to be moved. We were moved, but the ENTIRE plane could here this kid screaming. I had such a headache by the time we landed.
And do you know what the airline did? They gave the family a bottle of wine, for all the trouble they put up with. Man, I felt the other passengers should have gotten the bottle of wine!!
Oddly enough, when we heading back home, there was the same family (with the kid going crazy in the airport) waiting to get on our same plane. Told hubby that no way was I getting on with them. Luckily the flight was delayed and they didn't feel like waiting. Whew, what a nightmare!

 

[LeslieG]

I agree with you. I think they had two options. Either put the child in the seat screaming or leave the plane. Neither was a good option, but pick one. I do think though Airtran should have accommodated them on the next available flight and not made them wait 24 hours. I mean I haven't seen them on TV, but I get the impression these aren't bad people, they just were put in a very difficult situation.

 

[Bill From PA]

I mean I haven't seen them on TV, but I get the impression these aren't bad people, they just were put in a very difficult situation.

They weren't put in a difficult situation, they WERE the difficult situation.

Bill From PA

 

[snowbunny]

I have 4 kids. They would have been buckled. Respectfully, disrespectfully, I would have shoved their butt in the seat and buckled the seatbelt.

Absolutely. If this 3-year-old is running circles around these parents now, imagine what they'll be dealing with when she turns 12

 

[UConnJack]

I won't comment on the whether I think they are bad parents, or whether the kid was a spoiled brat. I wasn't there and I won't make that assessment based on media reports.

That said, maybe AirTran could have handled it a little more diplomatically and should have waived the 24-hr ban, but they did the right thing and were totally within their right to do so. Refunding of their ticket and assistance with getting another fight on their airline or another is all that should have been provided. An apology is fine, but should not have been more that "We are sorry they were inconvenienced, and attempted to assist them in any way possible, but we could not take off or hold up the plane any longer than the 15 minutes already afforded them" period. The free tickets they got and blame-accepting apology they gave was PR B-S.

We just got back from WDW on SW on a 7:30-10:00 flight, with a 7-mth and 4-yr old in tow. Luckily they were fine, however, they other couple on the plane with a 2 and 4 yr old weren't so lucky. Loading and take off were fine, but once in the air, the 2-yr old began crying with occasional screaming for about 2 hrs. They were mortified and did everything to console them, but the kid could not be calmed. On a SW, Aitran, or any airline coach flight, especially from Orlando, people should not be surprised to hear crying kids, sometimes they do get set off for no reason. That's why I always bring earplugs.

 

[snowbunny]

Refunding of their ticket and assistance with getting another fight on their airline or another is all that should have been provided.

I actually think Airtran went way above and beyond by refunding their tickets.
FAA regulations state that all passengers have to be seated and buckled for takeoff, it really isn't Airtran's fault that a passenger or her parents wouldn't comply.

 

[UConnJack]

I actually think Airtran went way above and beyond by refunding their tickets.
FAA regulations state that all passengers have to be seated and buckled for takeoff, it really isn't Airtran's fault that a passenger or her parents wouldn't comply.

Oh, I agree. I just mean from a customer relations standpoint, this was more than sufficient.

 

[bg4]

Lets see -

1) child, for whatever reason, refuses to be properly seated during take-off per federal law and throws tantrum.

2) Parents, for whatever reason, cannot, will not or just wont do whatever is correct, necessary and not child-abuse-like to get child to sit down, behave and cooperate. To continue this point it probably became impossible for this to happen in a civilized manner. These things happen - I guess and walking away is usually the best solution.

Now the interesting part.

3) Parents and child are told to de-plane because of incident. Parents take no responsibility for their (and child's) actions nor apologize - as far as I can tell - for childs actions and the delay of the flight and inconvenience it caused.

4) Air Tran reimburses the full amount of the air fare PLUS gives free tickets and yet the father went out of his way to bad-mouth Air Tran in the press.

5) Best Yet - The parents become instant celebrities and get their 15 minutes of fame appearing on television shows nationwide - is Letterman next?

What a Country. (with credits to Yakov Smirnoff)

 

[Kae]

I also think the 24hr ban was a bit much. They could have seen if they could have calmed the child down & gotten them on the next available flight & that could have been the next day. At first the media made it sound like it was just because of crying, not that she would sit correctly. So the media must have had a slow day.

Now who saw them on GMA? Did you hear the Dr say that if your child is having a tandrum at the store that you should sit on the floor with your child & look the in the eye & speak to them calmly until the tandrum is over-Ya right.

 

[MickeyCrazed]

Sounds like these people must be relatives of Jerry Monaco.

 

[Charleyann]

Some genius told us 15 years ago to stop spanking our children. It was harmful to their ego. So we spared the rod....now that we've raised a generation of undisciplined children, the consequences are clear: Children shooting children, stabbings in schools, no respect for teachers, bullying out of control and now a three year old holding up an airplane by refusing to sit. Wonder when the next genius is going to come along and say we are wrong?

The child needed her butt swatted, firmly planted in her seat or else she'd get a little more!

Spanking never hurt me and thousands of others before me!

Charleyann

 

[MEK]

OMG - This is probably why I wouldn't fly with my children until they were 6 and 8. Just the thought of one of them causing a "scene" on a plane, let alone delaying a take-off, would have humiliated me beyond belief. I would have gotten off the plane and accepted my refund. There is NO WAY I would be on GMA claiming that I was trying to "respectfully" calm down my child while the plane is getting ready to depart with a cabin full of passengers. UGGGGGGHHHHH!

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

As a parent I would be horrified. My two year old has thrown a decent fit or ten but she knows when it's time get in the carseat and buckle up it's going to happen, bad attitude or not.

I don't agree that spanking her would have made the situation better or gotten it over with faster, I think part of showing respect for people includes respecting different parenting styles.

I don't know that I would have handled it the same way, you can easily cuddle/reassure a scared little one while they are in their seat, I've done it! But I've also had times where I've had to physically move my child and put them were I want them when they're in the middle of a fit, in this case it would have been into her seat and buckling her up, there's no reason for her to be on the floor of a plane - ever!

 

[CarolA]

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.

For once I agree with you at least partially. AirTran should have banned the family for LIFE! Sorry, but they should not be allowed to delay a full plane to "repectfully' take care of this child. They need to learn that the world does NOT revolve around them. A lesson I don't think has sunk in! The airline should have CHARGED them for any extra fees incurred due to the plane not taking off on time etc.....

Mom and Dad have earned NO respect here IMHO! (Maybe someone should spank some sense into them. They seem to REALLY believe that they and "darling" are MORE important then 115 other folks. Apparently the WORLD revolves around them???? Someone slap some since into them)

 

[ro80]

I smell a lawsuit coming on!!! How sad. These parents should admit they could not get their child under control and be done with it. The publicity stunt is just ridiculous. Here's one 3-year old that was looking for attention on that plane and boy, did she get it in a BIG WAY

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

No need to take my post so personally, I never directly accused YOU of saying those things .

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.

Oh no, I didn't think you were accusing me....I just wanted to make it known it was not that I thought they were bad parents or she was a little witch. After your post, I thought I may have come across that way.

I also did not feel you bashed AirTran (which I have never flown, my sister does, we fly SW most of the time). I felt the parents bashed Airtran unnecessarily in the media.

Ugh, the internet. So much lost in translation.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

You know change this to a poor little doggy crying in the hold and this would be a whole different story. Suddenly it would be cute, everyone would have had patience and waited for little fido to calm down BUT have a kid have a hard time and the family is SOL. Blame the parents for not handling their child properly. She is three and they sometimes cannot deal with adult situations and preform like adults do.

I am sure the attendents could not have handled it anyother way...They did exactly what they could (note sarcasm here) Argueing with a parent who is having a hard time is not helping the situation. @@

Anyway the only thing I blame that family for is choosing Airtran to fly with. I have unfortunately flown with them and I swore never again.

Cut the family a break, kids cannot behave all of the time. I am sure no one on that plane has ever had anything happen where they caused anothers delay. Perhaps a flat tire during rush hour, the wrong documents to get out of the parking lot at MCO, 15 minutes late to a doctors appointment messing up all the appointments after, going in the ten items or less line with 20 items then pay by check etc....

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Three year olds will be three year olds sometimes. It happens. It doesn't mean that they can be accommodated in a transportation method regulated by the FAA as to schedule AND safetly regulations.

Sorry, nice family from Boston. Their time limit was up. Not saying they are bad parents. Not saying AirTran was wrong. This child was the cause of continued delay. Hasta la Vista.