Well, I might as well weigh in here too...

[agilebrit]

Airline: Public OK With Decision To Bump Disruptive Child.

Long story short: Apparently this family got on board the plane on Jan 14. Their three-year-old daughter threw a screaming fit, wouldn't get in her seat, etc. Federal regulations require that everyone over the age of two be in a seat and strapped in before the plane takes off, and there are very good reasons for this. Finally, the airline booted the family off the plane. They didn't get to go home until the next day, and the husband missed a shift at work because of this.

Cue the family, a week later, going to a local newspaper columnist and boo-hooing all over her desk. The columnist wrote a sympathetic editorial about the situation. Cue the family, apparently thinking they'd get sympathy everywhere, going to GMA, Inside Edition, and other media outlets.

Cue the backlash. Because, face it. No one wants to be on an airplane for two and a half hours with a screaming child. The latest story I've seen lays the blame for the plane being fifteen minutes late taking off squarely on this kid's refusal to get in the seat. And the airline could prove this by the simple expedient of publishing the timestamps. They know what time the plane was scheduled to take off, what time they started boarding, and--through the magic of barcode scanning--what time this particular family got on the plane. And what time the plane finally took off. It doesn't behoove the airline to lie about this, because the timestamps would tell the whole story.

Taking into account the fact that families with small children get to pre-board, and that they generally start boarding the plane about twenty minutes before takeoff (*flexes Frequent Flier Married to an Airline Pilot muscles*)...this kid threw a half-hour temper tantrum. The family's whining about "not getting a chance to calm her down" rings hollow as all hell when you realize that they had a half an hour to do so--and didn't, or couldn't. How long were the other 112 passengers supposed to wait while these people got control of their child? How many of them had connections in Boston to make? How many of them missed their connections anyway?

And why in the world couldn't two grown adults wrestle a three-year-old into a seat, hold her down, and strap her in? Duct tape over her mouth would have been a bonus.

AirTran refunded the family's tickets, gave them a free flight home, and offered them free round-trip tickets anywhere the airline flies--which the family, in a huff, has refused. What the airline should have done, if there was any justice in the world, was charged them for the inconvenience their inability to control their child caused to the other passengers and crew of the plane.

For the record, had this happened to us, and the Hubby had to be at work the next day? I would have gotten off the plane with Da Boy, and he would have stayed on the plane and gone home so he could work--because we are practical people and realize that the universe does not revolve around us and our problems.

Yeah, I got no sympathy here. "Parents" like this are the reason we have communities like cf_hardcore, and why people cringe when they see children in restaurants and movie theaters. While my own child isn't always a perfect angel in public, he knows when he's crossed a line, and he generally behaves himself. This is because the Hubby and I actually think that the word "parent" is a verb.

Comments

[dragonflymuse.livejournal.com]

Word. Parents have to control their children. That was completely ridiculous.

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

Totally agree with you here. I am not a parent, I admit, but damned if I enjoy watching children control their parents and disrupt everyone else. IMHO, children need boundaries, and parents need to take the responsbility to provide said boundaries seriously.
I have to admit that I get seriously tired of people playing the "oh poor me, I'm a victim of society" card.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they were probably trying to "reason" with her. "Now, sweetie, that's not nice. It makes daddy sad when you hit him. Could you please get in your seat? Now, sweetie, the plane needs to take off and you're making daddy very anxious. It's not nice to crawl under your seat like that. Now sweetie..." Apparently people don't realize that you can't reason with a kid that's in a full-blown meltdown like this one was. Physically taking control of the situation is the only solution in a case like this.

Especially when Daddy has a sixteen-hour shift to work the next day.

[palmaceae.livejournal.com]

Physically taking control of the situation is the only solution in a case like this.

Yeah, but then imagine what people would say. "Did they actually *spank* her in public? ABUSE" or "They grabbed her very roughly! They don't know how to handle their child."

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I am absolutely with you on this - especially the duct tape!!!

[zilly14.livejournal.com]

I agree 100%! I'm not a parent, but I mean, on the one hand, I'd be annoyed to have to be kicked off. But so many people nowadays do not parent their kids. You need to control your kids. Sure, they have their temper tantrums, but when those tantrums affect other people and their lives, it's time to get the kid off the plane and be considerate. Hey, the airline was nice enough to offer a refund AND tickets to anywhere they want. I would've taken it!

[zilly14.livejournal.com]

I'm watching Inside Edition right now, and they talked about this incident. Of course it was slanted to take the parents' side. They showed the little girl and she was all sweet, and the grandma was saying "she never throws temper tantrums."

[bookishwench.livejournal.com]

Know why they've got a spoiled kid? The parents are spoiled. They expect an entire plane full of people to cater to their problems, and then they essentially throw a tantrum themselves over their treatment? Yeesh.

I think my favorite bit was when they showed a bit of the interview this morning on the news, and the kid in question was climbing all of the mother and refusing to stay still.

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

They expect an entire plane full of people to cater to their problems, and then they essentially throw a tantrum themselves over their treatment?

OMG. EXACTLY.

[palmaceae.livejournal.com]

I have no sympathy after they went sniffing around for publicity everywhere they could. Boohoo. Your kid got you kicked off a plane. Learn to discipline.

[mermaidrain.livejournal.com]

This is because the Hubby and I actually think that the word "parent" is a verb.

Thank you Jesus! Parents today generally don't have a clue. No child like this would have gotten away with something like that in my family!

[crossreactivity.livejournal.com]

I agree, there's nothing that can't be solved with a little duct tape. ;)

Seriously, parents like this make me so mad. I can just see them on the plane cajoling the child or saying something brilliant like, "This is not acceptable behavior." They get no sympathy from me. *rolls eyes*

[kurukami.livejournal.com]

*blink blink* *squints hard at idiotic parents* Seriously. Geez. Your take on that situation is absolutely dead-on; the twits get no sympathy from me.

And I thought Da Boy was quite well behaved when I met him. : )

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you. We've done our best to make sure he's not a holy terror wherever he goes.

Have you tried to watch that ep of "Heroes" yet? Because it was wonky as all hell when we tried just now. Also, are you missing a green die with no one on it?

[kurukami.livejournal.com]

I hadn't noticed the lack of the green die, though I vaguely recall seeing it that morning. No great loss. : )

And as it turned out, moosesal had Tivo'd the ep, so I was able to watch it Tuesday night. I'll have to look for another downloadable copy sometime in the near future. *smile*

[agilebrit.livejournal.com]

Email me and I'll point you at the comm I use, or you can poke through my userinfo for it. If you join, let me know, and I'll give you a referral. :)

[crayonbreakygal.livejournal.com]

I saw this and had no sympathy either. Duct tape? That's perfect. Having three kids, they have never done something like this. They're not perfect, but have never acted like this in public. At home, well, that's another story. My kids have a hard time sitting still, but never on a plane. It's too exciting for them.

In California, they want to ban spanking. If anyone needed a spanking, it's those parents.

Then someone complained on some forum when someone suggested that you could give your child Benadryl. Now that pissed me off because all the pediatricians say to give it. It's not just for the drowsiness dumbass, was what I wanted to say. The ears and the nose get totally clogged on a flight. And yes, I have given children Benadryl before a flight. It works for some kids. Not for others. Thank goodness it helps mine.

OK, enough ranting.

[fierynotes.livejournal.com]

Damn. Everyone else has beaten me to anything I'd care to say. Will you settle for 'word'?"

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, yes.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

Can I just say amen!