Flight attendants often deal with obnoxious passengers who won't listen to instructions by kicking them off the plane. But a Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways went overboard by treating their crying 3-year-old daughter in much the same way.
Julie and Gerry Kulesza and daughter Elly were removed from the flight when the girl refused to take her seat before takeoff, airline officials said Tuesday. But her parents said they just needed a little more time to calm her down.
Wow a tough call, by the crew. On the one hand there is no reasoning with a small child, like you can an adult. But how long can an airline, crew and 112 other people on that flight be expected to put there lives on hold for this family?
She was removed because ``she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat'' during boarding, AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.
AirTran officials say they were only following Federal Aviation Administration rules that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seatbelt upon takeoff.
As I read through the article and the family's assertion's of not being allowed to console their daughter (what were they doing for the 15 mins waiting for take off)? There desire to publicize this in the paper and belief that getting refunded tickets and future travel on Airtran is still not enough speaks volumes of what kind of people they are.
story here