Where do you stand on this?

[asta]

Fully on the side of the airline. The family brags about extensive travel in their past so they know how airlines operate. It sounds like they figured out how to get first class treatment while paying coach prices. I wonder how much special treatment in other areas of their life that they demand by threatening to hurt others.

After being told hot meals were not available in coach the mother then demanded a bag of chips. So how does a bag of chips work for someone who only eats hot food? And she could not have brought chips on the plane in her snack bag?

I read the mothers lengthy Facebook post about this situation. About 98% of the comments fully supported her position. I would bet money that she is deleting the negative comments. There is no way she would have that much support.

 

[ronandannette]

If the article in the opening post is a verbatim report of the mother's exchange with the stewardess, then I must say it is eerily reminiscent of the mom in the bathroom thread that basically said "give my kid what he needs NOW or YOU bear the consequences". It was a threat - plain and simple. Whether or not this child actually had the physical wherewithal to actually harm other passengers or put the safe operation of the aircraft itself in jeopardy is debatable, but at that point it's a judgement call on the part of the pilot, who is ultimately responsible.

With this type of arrogant, entitled behaviour being reported more and more often, it's really no wonder private-sector organizations are starting to push back with extremely low-tolerance policies.

Where was the humility on the part of the parent that could have taken the approach of "we need help; please, please help us through this potentially serious situation which is a result of our child's special needs"? Very few people, given that request would not have tried to assist, even in the very obvious light of the parent's own woefully poor planning. But for the mother to instead try to use the potential for her daughter to become "dangerous" as a weapon to get what she wanted? Completely unacceptable and I'm glad the airline took the action they did. As a fellow passenger I would have been very irritated about the delay, but in principle, supportive of the decision. After having been a service provider in a public setting for 25 years, my personal tolerance for these type of antics on the part of consumers is practically nil.

 

[barkley]

one article I read has mom saying the girl has been flying since 6 months of age-been to 5 countries/24 states. to me that says this parent is no stranger to issues that can come up w/their dd's eating habits during travel, and should make plans/ try to make or arrange REASONABLE accommodations if available w/a particular carrier BEFORE the fact. sounds to me like mom's used to getting her way, and in this case when the answer to her question was 'no' she resorted to a veiled threat.

my son is on the autism spectrum, and I'm offended that the mom is making this an 'autism' issue. sure, their child has this diagnosis but don't claim the airline discriminated against her b/c of the diagnosis b/c that's just going to get every person on the spectrum labeled as prone to unmanageable meltdowns/physically acting out (and not all are) which will lead to greater fears, less inclusion and true discrimination. I'm certain that if a neuro typical passenger had asked for hot meal from first class, was told it was not available and then said the same thing this mom said, the airline staff would not have hesitated to make the same decision. I suspect the only reason the girl was given the meal was to de-escalate the situation w/mom, potentially de-escalate w/the daughter while crew were making plans to re-route and disembark the family.

in my ds's 18 years I've seen airlines come a long way in accommodating asd kids. be it pre-boarding, rehearsal programs, mock flights. 'wings for autism' and 'navigating autism' are two programs that have gone a long way to help those on the spectrum, their parents/travel companions, and terminal and airline staff to help make the flight process safe and enjoyable for everyone concerned. I would hate to see this woman's bullying tactics work against people on the spectrum by having these programs shut down or severely altered (because they are ENTIRELY voluntary on the part of the airline industry-and imho, go above and beyond their non discrimination mandates).

 

[PlutoPony]

As soon as mom mentioned that her daughter could possibly harm another passenger, the end to this story was written. That's something the airline can't ignore. They don't divert planes for small issues, it's a BIG deal and expensive to boot. So you have to think UAL can defend this pretty easily in court unless they want to throw $ at mom to get her to be quiet.

What would this family have done on a "normal" flight that didn't have hot food available for any class of passengers? That's by far a majority of the flights in the US.

Don't mean to sound insensitive but some people are just not able to fly - for their safety and that of other passengers. Unfortunately it sounds like this family could be in that category. Wonder if UAL has put them on their "no fly" list.....

 

[Andtototoo]

Hmmmm....If you have a child that will begin crying and scratching people because she does not have access to hot food with steam rolling off it on a flight, the child may not be suitable for flying.

No kidding. I also have to wonder about this food requirement. Because the mom says they have traveled extensively with this child, including to foreign countries. So have I. One of the tricks of travel is dealing with the local food and the way its served, the differences in food ways, different food tastes, etc. I'm finding it rather hard to believe that every single meal while traveling, including in foreign countries, they have been able to procure her piping hot food with steam rolling off of it.

Let alone that they have successfully navigated ALL of that travel without repetitive melt downs since the mother admits that the daughter refused to eat the food they'd bought for her prior to the flight and she was afraid that not eating would cause a melt down on the flight. So either the kid has caused all sorts of problems for years or they've learned how to use the threat of melt downs to get special treatment.

 

[MattsPrincess]

Does it say anywhere that it was for sure the daughter's behavior that got the flight grounded? Because it sounds like mom may have been causing quite a scene...maybe SHE was the "passenger with disruptive behavior"

 

[MickeySP]

hummm....the plot thickens...sounds like a publicity stunt now

http://www.combarriers.com/

Going with you on this.

 

[okeydokey]

This Mom is using her daughter's condition to demand what she wants and threatens violent consequences if the airline doesn't pony up. So, you get what you get, and is it totally the Mom's fault.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I think the pilot overreacted, but I feel the parents should have been better prepared.

I know attendants would have warmed food for them. I wonder if the parents were unaware that they don't serve food in coach in most flights anymore.

 

[DopeyDame]

I'm trying to think of what could have been done to prevent this situation, and it's been difficult. There have been times where my sister also would not want to eat at a time that we're eating. It might have been possible for them to take a to-go box of the food and ask if they could heat it up on the plane, but I'm not 100% certain that would be possible on most planes. I don't know why they decided to continue to make the emergency landing once she was calmed down. It doesn't seem like she was continuing to be a threat to the safety of the rest of the passengers and crew.

It definitely sounds like a bad situation made far worse by the mom's behavior.
As for landing after the girl calmed down, I think that was actually really reasonable. First, I suspect that's not a decision you make lightly, and once you've made it probably can't really take it back. Once you declare an emergency landing, the process begins - people on the ground are working to prepare for the landing, rebook the other passengers, ensure everyone's safe, getting local law enforcement ready, redirect other flights to allow space and time for the emergency landing, etc. It's not a trivial thing, so my guess is you hardly ever "take back" a decision to land the plane. Secondly, if I'm the pilot, at that point I really don't trust the mom to be able to keep the daughter and the other passengers safe for the rest of the flight. Sure, she might have calmed down right now, but mom's made it very clear she's not willing to work nicely with the staff on the plane and has said point blank that she can't safely control her daughter. The pilot had every reason to believe that the girl would have additional issues and might not be willing or able to sit and get buckled upon landing. It seems like if the girl really did calm down, that was the perfect time to get everyone seated and strapped in and safely on the ground.

 

[undertheradar]

Interesting what Dr. Beegle does for a living

 

[asta]

Several times the mother stated that she was not happy that the pilot made this decision without personally coming back to assess the situation. She expected the pilot whose main job is to safely fly a plane full of people to come out of the cockpit and check on their demands? Unreal! These people seem more unreasonable the more I read.

 

[barkley]

I think the pilot overreacted, but I feel the parents should have been better prepared.

I know attendants would have warmed food for them. I wonder if the parents were unaware that they don't serve food in coach in most flights anymore.

not all airlines are equipped to warm food. i.m.h.o.-no excuse if mom is such a huge advocate for disabilities/frequent nationwide and international traveler w/a disabled child for her being unaware of food availability. united's website details which flights have food available down to the type of food. also says that any special meal requests be made a minimum of 24 hours prior, but that otherwise staff can only provide hot or cold water to keep foods (brought on board) warm or cold. if my asd son had this issue then I would be taking only flights that I know have the capacity to provide a warm meal-and making a request (if coach was not serving and it was my only travel option) when I booked the flight to see if they would have an extra meal on stand-by (my cost-pay for it if used or not).

we've not traveled or made major adjustments to our travel to w/our son b/c we are aware of his needs-but WE take the responsibility of planning for it, we don't expect others to and then threaten them/innocent bystanders when they are unable or unwilling (not discriminating-unwilling, totally different).

 

[Art 1]

Glad the airlines did what was best for the majority that was on the flight. I hope the mother loses her law suit.

 

[aaarcher86]

I think the pilot overreacted, but I feel the parents should have been better prepared.

I know attendants would have warmed food for them. I wonder if the parents were unaware that they don't serve food in coach in most flights anymore.

I believe it's been said in articles that the mom is an avid flyer. No reason she wouldn't have known.

 

[piccolopat]

When the mother said give her daughter a hot meal or expect a meltdown, scratching, etc., she was make an "or else" threat. If there were no available First Class meals to buy, then what? If the daughter didn't like the jambalaya that she was given, then what? If a couple more hours into the flight she was demanding another hot meal, then what? Since the parents clearly understand their daughter's needs, they could have brought several instant meals that only require hot water to prepare (ramen, mac & cheese, oatmeal, etc.). In the end could the flight attendant handled things better, possibly. They could have bought a first class ticket. They could have bought a hot meal in the terminal and brought it onboard in a thermal bag. Should the parents have been prepared instead of expecting the airline to handle their daughter's needs without advance notice, absolutely. Autistic meltdowns can be quite violent and once the threat was made, no matter that the daughter had calmed down for the moment, the pilot had the right to request their removal for the safety of the rest of the passengers and the crew.

 

[leebee]

I read the online accounts of this last night and immediately wondered if, given mom's profession, this trip was being used as a soapbox.

Responsibility on the family/parents, and I, too, wondered if mom was the disruptive passenger and not the teen!

 

[gwynne]

I think the pilot overreacted, but I feel the parents should have been better prepared.

I know attendants would have warmed food for them. I wonder if the parents were unaware that they don't serve food in coach in most flights anymore.

I disagree about the reheating food. Most galleys are not set up to reheat carry on meals. Even if they had the ability to reheat, there is also a real concern about food safety and cross contamination. So, in general, it's a no.

The mom appears to be quite well traveled per the link to her website in this thread. She would know what is provided in First, what is provided in coach. Passengers don't get book coach, and then upgrade their peanuts to a First Class dinner onboard.

It is never a good idea to say anything to a FA that sounds like a serious demand, threat or both. Go there and risk the consequences.

I am 100% with the pilot.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

So daughter is an extremely picky eater and is autistic, but is happy being served airline jambalaya? Really? Because even first class airline food isn't all that great. Mom screwed up, pilot called her on her entitled behavior and did the right thing. I really wish we had loser pays litigation here in the states!

 

[piccolopat]

So it seems they were on their way back from Disney World, according to one article I read. I wonder if the mom is on the DIS?

...and I'm sure every meal she had at Disney had steam rolling off it!