Family kicked off plane because of squalling brat
 

I definitely applaud the airline on this one. Thoughts?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070123/...flight_tantrum

Toddler's temper ousts family from plane

By JIM ELLIS, Associated Press WriterTue Jan 23, 12:54 PM ET

AirTran Airways on Tuesday defended its decision to remove a Massachusetts couple from a flight after their crying 3-year-old daughter refused to take her seat before takeoff.

AirTran officials said they followed Federal Aviation Administration rules that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seat belt upon takeoff.

"The flight was already delayed 15 minutes and in fairness to the other 112 passengers on the plane, the crew made an operational decision to remove the family," AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.

Julie and Gerry Kulesza, who were headed home to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers, said they just needed a little more time to calm their daughter, Elly.

"We weren't given an opportunity to hold her, console her or anything," Julie Kulesza said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

The Kuleszas said they told a flight attendant they had paid for their daughter's seat, but asked whether she could sit in her mother's lap. The request was denied.

She was removed because "she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat" during boarding, Graham-Weaver said.

The Orlando-based carrier reimbursed the family $595.80, the cost of the three tickets, and the Kuleszas flew home the next day.

They also were offered three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies, Graham-Weaver said.

The father said his family would never fly AirTran again.

I think the airline made the right decision. Cuz if it were Senusret I airlines, the kid would have been sedated involuntarily.

Word. I flew home Christmas and accidentally sat in the wrong row but I believe it was divine intervention because my row was occupied with a pair of 1 - 2 year old twins who CRIED the entire flight!!!!!!! :mad: I was ready to kick them off the plane and drop them off in the air, lol.

Let's see....

1. they were delayed one day,
2. they got their $598.00 reimbursed (which meant they flew home for free), and
3. they got 3 round trip tickets anywhere the airline flies?

will somebody please loan me their crying baby cause I can use this kind of "hassle" if you know what I mean? :rolleyes:

OK....I'm trying to understand two things:

1. Why did the airline give them three tickets to fly anywhere they wanted to AFTER reimbursing them their ticket money?

and

2. Why would the man assert he'd never fly AirTran again? Seems to me like they came out on top to me.

I would've kicked them off the plane too - without complimentary tickets!

And parents: Home train your children so that when they're in public, they'll know how to behave. How are you going to ask if your child can sit on your lap and you KNOW everyone must be strapped in? :confused:

LOL. You sound like Madea!!

We are going to Disney in July for a family reunion. I will let you all know how my son behaves. He will be 18 months.

I would have kicked them off too.

EXACTLY! That man better STOP TRIPPING! What happened to the days when Momma only needed to give the child "THE LOOK" and the child straightened up? Oy vey!

i think these parents were just embarassed by it all and wanted to save face by complaining 'bout it - whatever - i've had way too many crappy flights due to screaming kids who kick my seat - please start kicking more of them off

It said they were just "offered" the tickets. If the guy is being a jagoff and insisting he'd never fly AirTran again, then the airline hasn't lost any money on them, and they've made themselves look good. It's like when a restaurant offers you a gift certificate after you find a hair in your food or something that grosses you out so much you never go there again.

Clearly you are from the Burgh, lol. THe only people I've ever met sho use the term 'jagoff'.

Topic?

I am so glad they kicked their lil bad azzes off the plane. I WISH they'd done that for the kids on my plane home over Christmas- there were 7 children under the age of 3 sitting within 2 rows of me and it was hell on earth.

I do understand that the changes in pressure can be painful for lil babies on planes though.

Yinz are soooo right! Have a jumbo samich and an Arn. :D

What is the problem?

You were compensated fairly, you got to board the plane first, you "chose" to have your child sit IN FRONT of you (WTF?) and then got mad when you were escorted off the plane when the attendants asked to you get off the plane out of fairness to the other passengers? You had an opprotunity to console her, you just didn't DO it. Please.

Pressure changes can be dealt with by chewing gum, sucking a lollipop.
I have an 8 year old, and she KNOWS better, but when she flies, I am sure to pack her a goodie bag of stuff to do and play with so that she gets in her seat, next to her dad and is a model passenger.

GTFOOHWTM!! :mad:

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for flying "Homegirl" Airlines. Your pilot today is Nikki1920, who, as you can see is hardcore 'wit hers. Now sit your azzes back and prepare to take off. That is as soon as you kick in some gas money to the flight attendants coming down the aisle.

Thank you again for flying HomegirlAirlines, where our motto is: "You ain't pay but $99 for the dayum ticket. Stop asking me what time the plane gon get there. We'll be there when we get there." :)

I think this is about the best post I've read all week.:)

I agree with 33, the airline did it to save face. When people get denied boarding compensation (generally when the flight's oversold), they usually don't get their entire trip reiumbursed. The family lucked out.

Mom should have known that no, her 3 year old cannot be considered a "lap child". In my experience with the airline industry, parents are asked if they're traveling with a child. If so, they are asked for child's age. Depending on how young they are, children are usually placed next to the window if it's a 2 seater, or in the middle if it's a 3 seater. They are almost always never seated next to the aisle.

AirTran handled this situation the best way, IMO.

Hayle no they should have NOT been offered a free flight.

My husband was telling me that on one of his last business trip flights, he got stuck on a flight from Montreal to Vancouver with a squalling brat that was kicking the back of his seat. he was irritated but didn't feel like he could do anything. GTFOOHWTM!!

Shhheeeeee! PUH-leeze.

I told him that he was LUCKY that I wasn't on that flight. I would have gotten straight gangsta on a parent!

Parents, when your kid acts a fool on the plane...ya know what to do...

there are lavatories in the front and back of the plane...use them!

i just get a little cranky when some people get the impression that flying is a "right" and therefore they've got the right to act - well mostly just let their children act - however they darn well please. flying is a not a "right" or even absolutely necessary. its a perk that you pay for - just like EVERYBODY ELSE - i just don't like having my payed experience ruined by getting a massive headache. if your kid sucks at flying either deal with the problem or don't fly.

- m

Guess what? You ain't even gotta leave your seat! As the old commercial used to say "just a pinch between the "cheek" and gum. . .

I love it how the parents are acting offended about this. I once delayed a flight by nearly an hour when I was three and my mom was mortified. That should be the normal parental reaction, not blaming the airline.

You'd think so, right?

I've been on flights before where parents had a difficult time getting their kids to calm down. Most of the parents I saw were very apologetic to the other passengers when their kids threw tantrums.

We already got the kid throwing a tantrum. We sure don't need the parents to throw one too.

Oh goodness, now why is Soul Plane on my mind??? LOL.

I love him!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D :D

And I am not hardcore, I am a FINER WOMAN, through and through.

ETA: Children's church is a wonderful thing. We have one of those "I'll make noise b/c the preacher is talking" babies, and her mom is CLUELESS. Take your child to Children's church (we have monitors in the baby room) or out in the foyer so the rest of us can hear The Word in relative quiet. Have a little consideration. Bring a coloring book or some quiet toys or SOMETHIN!!! :mad: That's a pet peeve of mine. Only had to take my child out ONCE. She knows better now. If she gets bored or restless, she goes to sleep.







but Mommy don't play that "Imma act out in public b/c she won't do anything" mess. I can find a bathroom or a secluded corner with my Mommy-vision, handle bidness (yeah, BIDNESS!!) and keep it moving. shiddddddd. lol

GOOD! I can’t stand when people take their whining kids places knowing that the child behavior will disturb others.

Movies
Church
Class/School
To my house

Luckie love the kids but dang! I am glad a company took some action.

CTFU!

I have no kids, so I can't relate but I am taking notes. I always wonder why it seems like most parents today are afraid of their children?

I went to a restaurant with my bf and a few friends of his. One friend brought his two kids, who spent 30 minutes crawling on the floor under the table or literally SITTING on their father (big ass 7 year old) whining, whining, whining the whole time.... I wanted to find him a switch.

I started a conversation about how great beatings were *hint, hint* and how every kid needs a whoopin at least once in a while- the way I figure it, if you as a parent don't do it now, life, or someone who will not put up with their snotty attitudes, will do it later. ALL the adults at the table (except the dad) agreed with me. The kids got a little more quiet after that, lol.

The funniest thing? The guy and his ex-wife are both therapists, with two of the most messed-up, badly behaved children I have eeeever seen.

People want to be friends with their kids, which IMO, is not the best approach to take when they are still kids. My mom and I are friends NOW, but I'm 30, out of the house and have a child. She taught me that parents are to be feared (to an extent) and respected. "I'm your MOTHER, not your FRIEND" was something I heard when I thought I was grown.

People also don't want to be seen in public as being mean to their kids. Negro, please. I took my daughter out to dinner as an early Christmas gift, and the child across the aisle from us was yelling, climbing on the booth, cursing (muthaf***er, repeatedly), and his mother and grandmother were just talking like NOTHING was going on. My daughter looked at him and was like, "Mommy, he is a baaad boy. He needs a spanking. That is not how you are supposed to act when you go out." and shook her head. Lesson learned.

If its a friend of mine, I'll tell the kid to use your indoor voice or what have you. If THAT doesnt work, they get the Mommy look. That works.

I mean, parenting should not be rocket science.

I just won't be around those kids- the dad is not MY friend (he seems nice, but too much crazy in the kids for me to really trust) and I have no obligation to provide those kids with the home training their parents aren't providing.

I just stay far away.

I am 27 and I STILL have some residual fear of my Mother, lol. I respect her for all she did for me, including disciplining me when I needed it.

I find badass kids funny. Anyone watch Nanny 911? Of course it is not funny when they're your kids. :o

I'm 32 and I'm still scared of mine! When she calls my name, you better believe I respond with a "yes ma'am". :)

Soror, I'm glad that they're behinds were kicked off too! Maybe it will send a message to other parents whom think that just b/c it's *their* child, everyone else is supposed to be in love and accept all of that noise.
I swear, those kids get on my nerves. They need to do like a lady told me she used to do with her son when he was a baby - give him a little Benadryl and he was straight the entire flight (and they were flying to India from the US)!

Be-na-dryl! Be-na-dryl!

But for real, I hope more parents listen up and take a lesson from this situation. Shoot, I may start to ask the flight attendants if some of them can be removed. LOL.

SC

Ok, so am I the only one that doesn't mind telling other people's kids how to act - in front of the parents? I will tell a child that is kicking me in the seat on a plane to stop kicking me in a second...in front of the parent. Never had a problem b/c the parents are usually embarassed and don't try to defend that foolishness.

Shoot, I had to tell this young boy of about 12 or 13 to say excuse me when he kept reaching over my food to get napkins at the checkout line at the movies last week. It's not my fault - his Mother should have trained him. I figure if she won't do it, I will b/c I don't want him just out there not knowing how to conduct himself.

Am I the only one training other people's kids? LOL.

SC

Lady A: Hey girrrl, I'm tryin' to get a flight to Vegas next monf... you know I gotta be with the bawlass... Hook a sistah up!

Lady B: I know girrrl... I got us tix on Homegirl Airlines! Only $99 for the whole thang!

Lady A: DAMN! That is a hook up!

Lady B: Hayle yeah! But make sure you got money for gas... I keep a fitty in my bra just for that cause...


*truth be told... I cried at the mini commercial you made Tony... Soul Plane... all Soul Plane...* LOL!

No, you aren't. It takes a village, right?

co-sign this ^^.

I can still remember getting "the look" from my moms, live and direct from the choir stand at the GNL Baptist Church back in the day. :eek:
Your boys would be like, " uh, Tony can I get your baseball cards, cause from the look on your mom's face, you ain't gon be playin' with them no time soon." :)

u crazy!! :)

I will tell any blood relation to me to quit actin up in a minute, and probably most black kids too, but I just don't feel comfortable talking to "other" people's kids for some reason.

LOL!!!

LOL

I'm scared to tell other people's children to behave, especially in front of their parents. Black parents would probably curse me out, and white parents would probably call the cops.

I SO agree it takes a village.

When I worked retail, I had no problem giving someone acting like Bay-Bay's kids THE LOOK. If I am shopping in the grocery store, I still have a tendency to give bad azzed kids THE LOOK

'Nuf said!