This is the “problem” that seems to keep happening over and over. Last week, it was Delta seating a 4 year old 11 rows from her dad. Then a few weeks ago, we had a family kicked off of a flight after their autistic daughter was deemed “disruptive”. We’ve even had people kicked off a plane for TWEETING!
Now, we have another family kicked off of a plane, this time because of a “fussy” toddler. Emily Kaiman from St. Louis shared the story on her Facebook wall.
This past Sunday I was traveling with my 4 children (preschool age and under), and my mother. After our 1st flight, we had a layover in Charlotte, NC. US Airways, delayed us for 3 hours, with no explantion. Eventually we boarded a different plane. As we were boarding, multiple passengers commented on how well behaved my children all were. We began taxiing, and my son (17 months old, traveling as a lap baby), was somewhat fussy and fidgety on me. He kicked his legs over the armrest into the aisle. A flight attendant came over and told me he could not do this, so I moved him toward the inside of my seat (closer to my daughter). He was calm, but every so often would fuss/fidget/cry. The flight attendant came over again and asked that I hold him tightly on my lap. I told her I was doing the best I could, and would make sure he was safe and secure. At this point we had been taxiing for at least 20 minutes. I began nursing him, and he was calm. I then noticed that we were heading back to a gate. Security boarded the flight, and told me, my mom, and children that we needed to deplane, that the flight crew had decided they would not fly with us, because of my son. I am honestly still it shock that they would kick a nursing mother and 4 small children off a plane for a *somewhat fussy/fidgety toddler
Now I understand that we may not have the whole story here and that parents might tend to downplay their own involvement, or the culpability of their own family. I mean you’re talking to the guy who once had another passenger tell him that he was “the type of person that should not have children“, and I’m sure if the other lady in that story ever tells what happened, her account sounds different than mine. BUT – I think we’ve seen repeated stories along this vein to know something else is going on.
Flight crew power trips?
Let me preface this by saying that most flight crews that I have encountered have been pleasant and nothing but professional. Still, all these stories just seem to cry out to me as a few bad apples abusing their power. Some of the recent laws passed have given the pilots and flight crew of aircraft unlimited power to do anything they can to ensure the “safety” of the crew, and at least in my mind, it’s gotten OUT OF CONTROL!
Regarding the story of the family kicked off of a flight after their autistic daughter was deemed “disruptive” – I have a mutual friend of someone who was actually on the plane. She shared on Facebook
My friend was on this flight – Only a couple of rows away and heard the whole thing. She said it was so ridiculous and that the girl was not disruptive at all.
She said not one person on the flight complained-no one thought the girl was a threat and no one was uncomfortable
I think some of these flight attendants are on power trips just like some law enforcement, attorneys, etc because they (and the pilots) are in a position to kick someone off their flight
I could not agree any more. I mean I have heard of families making goodie bags for fellow passengers, but I didn’t realize we had to bribe the flight attendants TOO!?!??! What do you think? Do you have experiences with similar pilots or crew that have gone over and above what was necessary? Or on the flip side, maybe you want to think about the nicest thing you’ve seen a fellow passenger or crew do for someone else?
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I say kick ’em off. Parents of young children are too entitled.
LOL. I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that one!
I think this is absolutely ridiculous. Children fuss and most parents do their best to try and make a child happy for their sanity and for the sake of those around them
I get so irritated by people who say that children should not be allowed to fly… So I should not be allowed to share the world with my child because you deserve to fly but she doesn’t? I have seen plenty of adults act like children on flights so what entitles them to fly but not a sleeping infant? (Or a child who is having eat pain and can’t comprehend why?)
I enjoy a peaceful flight just as much as anyone else but thats an unpredictable dream depending on who boards the plane with you. There are also loud talkers, over sharing seat mates and downright crazies that fly too!
Yes I totally agree with you (as should not be surprising). I often say that generally speaking, I feel that children are often more age-appropriately mannered than many adults.
It’s getting to the point where a parent doesn’t have to worry about actually helping their children have successful flights but instead has to worry about the adults pitching a fit at the first sound out of any kid
I agree with Mark the first contributor, and I would even go further. The time has come to do away with the price reductions for children. If their parents knew they had to pay full fare for their disruptive little angel, most of them would get left at home and those of us that need to fly would all have a pleasanter journey.
‘Four children, preschool age and under’ – One or two of those may have been lap infants, free and not entitled to a seat. You can be sure that nearly all families would travel just as much and bring children of all ages if they had to pay for a seat for each passenger.
If the public is so disruptive, I suggest no longer using public transportation.
FA asks parent to hold child tightly on lap. Mom replies she is doing the best she can and would make sure he is safe and secure. Anyone else see the irony here? Lap babies are inherently neither safe nor secure. Makes me question her perception of “somewhat” fidgety toddler.
Mom chose to make a connecting flight with four pre school aged children. Yes, a flight was delayed which probably resulted in restlessness. Wouldn’t being in a car seat better secure the toddler who may be prone to being fidgety? she gambled that an active 17 month old toddler would be a calm lap baby and was wrong. How was this the airline’s fault?
Stop permitting lap babies and most of these problems go away.
Generally speaking I agree with you on lap kids. We’ve never flown with a lap child but I’m not sure that would have changed anything in this scenario. I also agree with you that we may not have the full details of what happened (we’ve just heard one side of the story)
But I think we’re seeing more and more flight crews focusing on making sure there are no disturbances rather than worrying about the safety of the flight.
Not all passengers live in a hub city where they can simply fly to any destination they like on a direct flight, interesting that the assumption that was that she “chose” a flight with a connection instead of that being her only option.
I can tell that you are obviously a parent based on your comments, and understand how well behaved children who see their siblings and parent outside of a car seat get a calming sensation when they are strapped down and restricted from moving as they like. The child may not have kicked other passengers if they were restrained but I can just hear my own daughter’s ear piercing screams that I am sure the flight attendant and other passengers would have loved.
She is all alone with four kids after a long delay. I have been kicked in the back of my seat and screamed at by grown adults that didn’t get kicked off a plane. I have seen plenty of adults behaving badly, I am sure you have too. If there is no general code of conduct what makes this different.
I do agree, however, that there is a safer way to fly. Most airlines in Asia give a lap belt extension (a very inexpensive loop that is akin to a belt extender). We have flown with our infant both as a lap child and with her own seat. On our last redemption to Asia our baby flew as a lap child in business class and did not disturb other passengers on both a 16 hour flight to Hong Kong and a 14 hour flight from Shanghai. We paid more for her to be a lap infant than we paid for our seats with miles and taxes. Next week we fly to Beijing and she will have her own seat in business class. Do you think she will sit in it. If she does, will that appease those that do not like the airline’s rules for lap infants? Further, the price break for a child sitting on your lap seems to be in contention. So let me ask those who dislike this. When they (all parents I assume) go to a restaurant do they order a kid’s meal or a full entree? If you are given a “discount” do you decide not to take it out of principal for the rest of the passengers? It seems like the war on infant prices should be with those passengers and the airline, not the parents who buy those seats.