3 year-old Kicked Off Plane After Tantrum

[Cypros]

If the child had experienced severe pain during a previous flight and so was anticipating (and fearing) similar pain during this flight, then I can understand her tantrum (considering that she is only 3). However, this is the problem of her parents, not the flight crew and other passengers. If the child had had problems with her ears before then the parents could have looked into treatments before trying to take her on another flight.

I think the airline went far beyond what was necessary to compensate this family and I am annoyed with their lack of gratitude. If I had been in charge I would have offered the family seats on the next available flight IF the child is calmed down and ready to fly by then. I would have also offered them food voucher so they could take the little girl to the airport McDonald's and fill her up with heavy foods in the hopes that she would be sound asleep for the next flight. I don't see any need to offer them free tickets but I understand the airline's desire to overcompensate -- it is good business.

 

[Autumn2004]

Reb- Personally I do believe spanking is abuse. I also am sure that all of you who were calling her a brat were PERFECT as children

How do you know she doesn' t have asperger's, autism or any other issues that would affect her and might make her hit?

 

[southcitymom]

Reb- Personally I do believe spanking is abuse. I also am sure that all of you who were calling her a brat were PERFECT as children

How do you know she doesn' t have asperger's, autism or any other issues that would affect her and might make her hit?

Don't feed him, Autumn. It only encourages more posting!

 

[reb]

i'm not a 'him', SCM.... lol

and yes i *WAS* a perfect child!

OK, just kidding.. i wasn't exactly perfect,, but was never as bad as these little tyrants of today. and i did get beaten back down for acting up or being disrespectful... even though my father went overboard and used me as a punching bag for his frustrations.. it was not done in a spirit of controlled discipline. it used to be a sore subject... but now i see what happens when parents are too timid and spineless...which is why i'm leaning back towards pro-spanking. and never, EVER did i cause a scene, wailing and screaming in public when i didn't get something i wanted or didn't get my way. and punching my parents in public..?? no way! i don't care how many excuses you make for these little monsters... that's just insane!!

 

[southcitymom]

i'm not a 'him', SCM.... lol.....

Good to know!

 

[j2mirish]

"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," Graham-Weaver said.


I think the airline did the right thing.

i agree- this wasnt just about a crying child

 

[j2mirish]

I think they got an extremely fair deal.
The couple said they'd never fly AirTran again.
Gonna be kinda hard to use those round trip tickets then, eh? :doh:

funny you said that- my 10 year old son flighs about once a month for hockey- when he heard this, he said "mom- they should have used the tickets before they said they wouldnt fly airtrans again !!"

 

[IrishMist]

I wonder what they did to enable the child to fly home the next day.

 

[Autumn2004]

btw I wanted to add when it was suggested it was ear pain, it wasnt from that moment. They thought she might have been traumatized from the pain in her ears from the flight down. Probably had a panic attack. I have seen adults act worse from a panic attack.

 

[j2mirish]

I wonder what they did to enable the child to fly home the next day.

great question----:angel:

 

[LinetteH]

Having flown way more times than I ever wanted to with kids over the Atlantic ocean (8 times to be exact) I can say my children never behaved this way. The first time they flew they were 4 and 11 months. They flew again at 5 and almost 2. They flew again at 5 and 2 and then again at 6 and 3. We always packed a bag of goodies and toys for them, they have never been given drugs to sleep on a plane and both kids were wonderful. They did get cranky at points but so did everyone else! When my son was 5 he had to fly back to Walter Reed for a severe ear infection that could not be cleared up on the island we lived on. We had to take the LONG way--we flew from the Azores to Spain and stayed over night, we then flew to four different places in Italy the next day and finally landed in Germany for two nights. We then had to take a flight carrying war wounded all the way back to Maryland! It took 14 hours!!!! Mind you this is with a severe ear infection in my son--he never complained not one time even with all that taking off and landing! For the record my husband and I also do not spank. I think there is a time that parents need to be a parent and not coddle their child and I think this was one of those times. The plane was delayed because she was not in her seat--not because she was crying. The parents should have picked that child up and buckled her into the seat instead of asking for time to soothe her; her mother or father then could have covered the buckle with their hand so she could not take it off. While it would have been annoying for everyone if she continued to cry the plane can still take off with a crying child and chances are she was tired anyway and would have quickly fallen asleep. The airline was completely in the right here and the parents should be happy with what they got!

 

[j2mirish]

btw I wanted to add when it was suggested it was ear pain, it wasnt from that moment. They thought she might have been traumatized from the pain in her ears from the flight down. Probably had a panic attack. I have seen adults act worse from a panic attack.

then the parents should have been able to comfort their child--was she hysterical when they walked into the airport--- when they waited to board....or as they boarded? or just because she was bored, as i am....waiting for everyone to gt seated, and take off?

 

[close_enough]

btw I wanted to add when it was suggested it was ear pain, it wasnt from that moment. They thought she might have been traumatized from the pain in her ears from the flight down. Probably had a panic attack. I have seen adults act worse from a panic attack.

the child had pain in her ears?...??

nevermind...i see it was "IF".....

 

[philamena]

Hate to say it but I too think the airline did the right thing.

 

[close_enough]

then the parents should have been able to comfort their child--was she hysterical when they walked into the airport--- when they waited to board....or as they boarded? or just because she was bored, as i am....waiting for everyone to gt seated, and take off?

it 'sounds' like the child was being REALLY bad....come on..you can't talk your 3 yr old into something within 15 minutes??..if you can't, then take it somewhere else.....i'm just saying if it's in public & all.....

lol, i'm ready to take off too....

 

[close_enough]

i agree- this wasnt just about a crying child

this was about an obnoxious child...this child halted a flight for 15 minutes...ok, let's give him another 5 or 10...???...i've never been unable to calm a 'bratty' child down
....my oldest son, one time...he was like pushin 3....'threw a fit' in the grocery store one day....this was when i was dumb as a box of rocks, lol....i was 19 or 20; he was 2; almost 3?.....i literally drug him out the door....i rememeber feeling SO overwhelmed but i got his *advertiser censored* out of that store though...it's just uncalled for...it only happened once, i'm happy to say, lol....had two other sons after that, & all was fine as far as "tantrums"....i'd have been blown away if one of mine, at the age of 3, wanted to hit me ....

 

[Details]

I don't see how it matters at all why the child was out of control. The point is that the plane can't fly with her out of control. The parents are just completely to blame for not asking to get off the plane when it became obvious (which, with pre-board and 15 minute delay, I'd say it had been obvious for awhile) that she just wasn't going to calm down soon. And now they're being jerks talking as if the airline should just let them use that plane as their private jet, taking off whenever they're ready for it to.

If she was terrified for the ear pain, just a brat (which, IMHO, is a name that shames the parents, not the kids - brats aren't born, they're made), or anything inbetween, she's having a tantrum, under a seat and hitting - she's not just going to snap out of it.

I'd be slightly sympathetic to them - I think they were due a refund, and out of sympathy, some help getting onto the next available flight when the girl had calmed down - but nothing more. Any kid can go into a tantrum, but the parents reacted completely wrong, very inconsiderate to everyone on that plane.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

We took my 3 & 4yo grandsons across the country last year via planes. We took their own carseats (even tho they were bulky in the airports) and bought these wonderful earplugs which allowed the pressure to equalize before it hit their eardrums. Added to that, personal dvd players with their fav movies/headphones and NO problems! (A pacifier/bottle also helps smaller children with the pressure. Gum for a preschool/toddler can be a choking hazard.) To my grands...it was the same as getting in a car. They know they are glued to their carseats until it stops and are taken out. No muss...no fuss.

I agree with the airlines to remove them. The child needed possible medical attention or...at the very least...for the parents to deal with the situation BEFORE getting on a flight by preparing the child properly. (Personally, I think they need to call in Supernanny to effectively get a handle on things! )

The law in Cali taking away spanking for children under 3 is redundant...they have laws in place against child abuse. If you swat your child as a reminder not to put a hand near a hot burner...I think it is an excellent use of power. Who are they to tell parents how to teach or to discipline? (Maybe they need to take a poll of the legislators' parents as to how many swats they received as tots!)

 

[LionRun]

We took my 3 & 4yo grandsons across the country last year via planes. We took their own carseats (even tho they were bulky in the airports) and bought these wonderful earplugs which allowed the pressure to equalize before it hit their eardrums. Added to that, personal dvd players with their fav movies/headphones and NO problems! (A pacifier/bottle also helps smaller children with the pressure. Gum for a preschool/toddler can be a choking hazard.) To my grands...it was the same as getting in a car. They know they are glued to their carseats until it stops and are taken out. No muss...no fuss.

I agree with the airlines to remove them. The child needed possible medical attention or...at the very least...for the parents to deal with the situation BEFORE getting on a flight by preparing the child properly. (Personally, I think they need to call in Supernanny to effectively get a handle on things! )

The law in Cali taking away spanking for children under 3 is redundant...they have laws in place against child abuse. If you swat your child as a reminder not to put a hand near a hot burner...I think it is an excellent use of power. Who are they to tell parents how to teach or to discipline? (Maybe they need to take a poll of the legislators' parents as to how many swats they received as tots!)

Great post SeriouslySearching!

Lion

 

[sissy's mom]

:twocents: I think the airline did the right thing. Why should the other passengers suffer because of the parents failure to control their chilld ?