Southwest Kicks Cranky Kid and Mom off Plane

[STEADFAST]

I read this story to my son, and his reaction was, "Wow! That's impressive, for a kid!"
Personally, I give all two-year-olds passes for everything, being the grandma of one.

 

[ziggy]

If the child was so loud that passengers could not hear the announcements, that's LOUD and the crew had no choice but to ask them to leave the plane. That being said, I wish they would have issued her some vouchers or something immediately or get her luggage.

I have no kids, have traveled extensively and for me it's the attitude of the parents that makes me sorry for them or want to strangle them! I can tell when the parents are trying everything and feel really bad! You can tell the other passengers who have kids because they have that "you poor dears" look about them and I have no choice but to feel for them too.

On the other hand, you all know the parents I mean. When the kid is out of control we are really hating on the parents, not the kid so much, at least I am. And I've found the the profoundly dirty looks don't even help. They have a dirty look forcefield around them or something. They are letting the kids wander unsupervised or their methods of trying to calm the kid down is so blatantly ridiculous or they don't even try. I might need some of Trisha's blow darts for them in the future.

Maybe the parents are all sedated out for the flight and don't give a rip?

Some people take meds for flying, I think I'd give my dog one if I took her so why not a little somthing to make a child more sleepy for the flight? I mean, not to abuse sleep aids for kids, that would be terrible, but for an airplane flight I can see it's usefulness.

SW should have a Pediatrician in the airport dispensing it!

I love SW. I think they have a right as a business to do what they see fit and they do tend to make some noteworthy decisions. Some might be right and some wrong, but at least they are doing something and not so terrified at the thought of "offending" someone that they've become paralyzed like most businesses that deal with the public at large.

Go SW. And keep those fares low baby.

 

[lorann]

Just two weeks ago My daughter, granddaughter, and gr grandson flew SW and were treated very well. Baby is 18 mos old, did not require a ticket. If the flight was full, they would have had to hold him. If not, he could have his own seat. They were allowed to bring a stroller on board which was stored. He is just beginning to talk and kept saying "bomb" My daughter kept saying "bomb?, bomb? what's bomb". My Grandaughter had to almost muzzle grandma to say Don't say bomb on an airplane. He got fussy a few times but did not cry or scream - but were treated very well by staff and passengers.

 

[stilettos]

Just two weeks ago My daughter, granddaughter, and gr grandson flew SW and were treated very well. Baby is 18 mos old, did not require a ticket. If the flight was full, they would have had to hold him. If not, he could have his own seat. They were allowed to bring a stroller on board which was stored. He is just beginning to talk and kept saying "bomb" My daughter kept saying "bomb?, bomb? what's bomb". My Grandaughter had to almost muzzle grandma to say Don't say bomb on an airplane. He got fussy a few times but did not cry or scream - but were treated very well by staff and passengers.

Yeah, I am laughing at the "bomb" thing. One thing you do not say, even in jest is "Bomb". In the Miami airport they have that posted in two languages...do not say "bomb" even in jest. You will be arrested. Those with oppositional defiance, well heaven help them for pushing the envelope. :floorlaugh:

 

[Boyz_Mum]

...or pass out those Bose noise reducing/eliminating headphones

You should submit this idea to the airlines (all of them!) Don't they charge 6 bucks a pair for the ordinary headphones (for movies?).... This would be revenue for each flight- I'd rent headphones so I didn't have to hear the people next to me, screaming baby or adult who talks to me.

 

[Openmind]

I think SW is the airline that kicked the lady off for wearing clothes that were too revealing.

Yes, and they charged a man for two seats because he was too large for only one. Not sure I disagree with these decisions. When a body is taking up more than the seat allows or the clothes expose more than a seatmate might want to see, someone has to make a choice about who gets to fly.

IMHO -- SW does a good job and tries to meet their customer's needs. Sometimes customers are jerks. Truthfully, jerks seem to be beefing up their numbers everyday. The mom in this story wasn't surprised she was asked to deplane which means the kid was screaming to beat the band. She was upset her luggage was not taken off at the same time. On that, SW was negligent but I can understand how it would happen.

My brother was an airline pilot. Once a plane a late to a destination the ripple affect through the system is large. I doubt this crew was going to off load a passenger and delay the flight on a whim. What crews have to endure on many flights is nothing compared to this. But they do have to deliver the safety message and people must be able to hear it. Now if they are actually listening is out of their control.

 

[shopper]

The thing with airlines is that they aren't obligated to make you happy, they are only obligated to give you a seat(s) in exchange for your money. I'm sure customer service and PR go a long way, but they make their own decisions and really don't have to appease anyone. They are as bad as health insurance companies IMO. You don't have to fly, it's not a right. But it's a lot cheaper and easier just to suck it up (the unfairness) than it is to drive for days or buy your own air craft.

:twocents:

 

[LinasK]

The things that make no sense for me, is 1)why the woman was inconvienienced when she had her mother to stay with- it's not like she had to pay for a hotel or motel for a night, and 2) why buy a portable crib? Where was the kid staying while she was at her mother's before? Didn't the grandmother have a crib???:waitasec:
Personally, even if I felt safe flying, I haven't flown since 9/11, I'd never do it with a child that young! Drive instead, much easier, and you can stop for pitstops, plenty of McDonalds with PlayPlaces. We did that with DD was 21/2- drove from Calif. to Minnesota and back, within a week, only bad part with DD was when she almost swallowed crayons in the dark in the backseat.

 

[Marthatex]

What if the parent or crew had just given him a lollipop? Or what if the crew kept a funny sesame street puppet on hand?

It's a tough situation and I understand the frustration of not being able to give the directions, but I also know how difficult young children can be. I don't know what upset the child so much. I do know their ears might hurt upon landing. Some kids might get tired and cranky during the long flight.

But why was he so upset right at the beginning? I have no idea but I wonder if the mother could have been allowed to take him off a few minutes, try to calm him down, and reenter the plane.

On the other hand, parents should try to come prepared with a few toys, treats or "plan of action" on the plane. On Frontier and maybe others they have little TVs they can watch. I believe in pacifiers, too.

If you get kicked off a plane with a small child, what if you don't have friends or relatives to go to in that town? What are you supposed to do? It's not that easy to find another flight.

 

[WholeLottaRosie]

Personally, I think there should be flights that allow children and flights that are child free.

 

[ziggy]

You should submit this idea to the airlines (all of them!) Don't they charge 6 bucks a pair for the ordinary headphones (for movies?).... This would be revenue for each flight- I'd rent headphones so I didn't have to hear the people next to me, screaming baby or adult who talks to me.

I'm sure they can get a better deal but those boze headphones are around $200! I wanted to buy some FOR AIR TRAVEL, lol.

 

[ziggy]

What if the parent or crew had just given him a lollipop? Or what if the crew kept a funny sesame street puppet on hand?

It's a tough situation and I understand the frustration of not being able to give the directions, but I also know how difficult young children can be. I don't know what upset the child so much. I do know their ears might hurt upon landing. Some kids might get tired and cranky during the long flight.

But why was he so upset right at the beginning? I have no idea but I wonder if the mother could have been allowed to take him off a few minutes, try to calm him down, and reenter the plane.

On the other hand, parents should try to come prepared with a few toys, treats or "plan of action" on the plane. On Frontier and maybe others they have little TVs they can watch. I believe in pacifiers, too.

If you get kicked off a plane with a small child, what if you don't have friends or relatives to go to in that town? What are you supposed to do? It's not that easy to find another flight.

I agree with the poster that said it's just not the duty of the airlines to pacify your child. They are there to fly you to another destination safely and if your noisy child disrupts their ability to do that, you gotta go.

If you travel with a small child, better have a backup plan in place lest you be tossed.

Perhaps they should have THAT along with "don't even joke about bombs" signs up in the airport.

If you have children and are going to travel with them, be prepared for everything, including having your travel plan interrupted.

 

[Marthatex]

I agree that it's mostly up to the parents to provide amusement or distraction on the plane.

However, if airlines are letting age 2 and under fly at all, then some kids are going to cry, get sick or have a temper tantrum; that's just given.

Having some separate flights for kids who travel might not be a bad idea, don't know if it's feasible.

Yes they're main job is to fly us safely from one place to another, but we are paying customers also when we buy a ticket, and it seems they try to help us be comfortable while we're traveling, etc. Boy, things have sure changed from the "old days" of flying that I remember.

 

[gaia227]

I do not have any kids and I have been on flights with a fussy child before and tried really, really hard not to let myself get annoyed. I imagine how I would feel if I had a small child who would not stop crying and I am pretty sure I would feel embarrassed and feel like everyone was looking at me thinking I was a bad mother. I am sure it can be incredibly stressful and I feel for them. They are doing their best. People seem to forget that a child is its own person - the parent does not operate them - and sometimes they act out and you just can't get them to calm down. It happens.

I have also been on flights with children who were just unruly because their parents obviously did nothing to discipline them - ever and just let them act completely out of control. Screaming and yelling for no reason, kicking people's seats, getting up and running up and down the aisles yelling "HERNIA! HERNIA!' (don't know, didn't ask) while mom and dad just sat there on their laptops. Then when the stewardess said something they had brought nothing for their small children to occupy themselves with and so they bought them candy and soda. Real great idea. Now THOSE people I would have relished seeing them get kicked off the plane. But some poor mom who is trying everything to calm her child down I feel sorry for and would hate to see her further humiliated by being kicked off the flight.

 

[littlemisslegal]

had a flight were the guy sitting next to me was eating some kind of dried meat jerky- smelled like rotten liver. then he dug in bag under seat and ate peaunut m&ms. then the stinky meat sticks. felt like gagging from the smell of whatever the heck he was eating-lol. a crying kid is worst when the parents put the kid next to you and act like they do not know the kid- just let the kid be obnoxius as they put on their headphones- yes. the skys the limit on being able to have patience with others. pretty bad when a plane gets delayed from a kids behavior. of course if sick or ears hurt is one thing- just a brat is another.

 

[Julessleuther]

To those who say she should have driven, not flown, that is unfair. Driving and gas is expensive, and a drive like that would have taken several days, sometimes over dangerous terrain. Perhaps this mother works and only had a certain amount of time off. I think those who do not have children, or forgot what it is like to have children just don't understand.

I live on the west coast, our entire family on the east. We have to fly to see our family. My son, fortunately, is a great little traveler, and we have flown MANY times. I can only remember one single time that there was a problem with him. When he was 18 monthes old, we had to fly to AZ for our househunting trip, and we had first class tkts. The first leg of the flight my son cried and was very fussy, but by the second leg he slept. This trip could not be helped---we had to find a house. We could not have driven, we had time constaints with our jobs. Everyone has a right to purchase airline tickets, parents cannot always help when their child are not feeling well or is fussy, you do the best you can. People around them could learn to be more compassionate and tolerant of lifes little inconveniences.

As far as compensation, FWIW, one flight I took with my son when he was one year old, got cancelled due to weather. It was later in the evening on a Sun, most of the restaurants etc in the airport were closed, and I only had one extra diaper, and a small jar of baby food. We waited HOURS until USAirways decided to completely cancel the flight (they were hoping the weather would clear). I had limited funds at that time, in a city where I knew noone, and my husband was 600 miles away. USAIR finally decided to put us up in a hotel because they said we were not allowed to sleep in the airport, and I was finally able to get some food for my little one. I am thankful USAIR provided the hotel accommodations, I do not know what I would have done. I quickly learned to carry more provisions when I traveled, in case of emergency, but at that time was a niave young mother. I often wished that there were vending machines in airports with diapers, baby food, and other supplies for children. Traveling with children is not easy, and neither the airlines nor airports make it easier, but sometimes it cannot be avoided.