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Another unruly family kicked off plane
Oh boy, oh boy. Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a family with an autistic child being booted off an American eagle flight for "out-of control" behavior. Today, another "unruly family" hit the news.
A woman, her 5-month-pregnant sister and four kids were kicked off a flight after they were misbehaving on a Southwest Airlines flight to Phoenix. As they were getting off the plane at Phoenix, airport police were already waiting for them and prevented them from boarding their connection to Seattle, CNN reports.
You can watch the video here. Yeah, emotions definitely ran high here. Glad I wasn't on that flight!
The interesting thing is that this family, like the one from two weeks ago, also traveled with an autistic child. On top of that, they had one child with cerebral palsy. It seems to me that airlines need to better prepare for more and more families traveling with special-needs children. (And other passengers need to start realizing that in times of cheap mass air travel, there is no divine right to a quiet flight. Hmm, I'm sure that will go over well.)
What strange things have been found on planes?
Click the image to read the bizarre story...
Filed under: North America, United States, Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 6 of 6)
misscarrots Jul 9th 2008 11:40AM
Hey Hilary! Where's the village?
mcbernazz Jul 9th 2008 10:42AM
Does it surprise anyone that these extremely poor and hardly-controlled people (Mom's 500+ pounds, Dad's still wearing a greasy pony tail at his age, Auntie's still smoking during her pregnancy) have poorly behaved children? These children are not the problem. When children are raised correctly (not in some free-will, double-wide with little to no supervision, I'm sure), then they behave correctly. "Well, the children aren't any bother in the trailer park...why can't these snobby air travel folks get used to them, too?" Pullllease! I'm just glad everyone was fairly clean and had shoes on their feet for the flight. And as far as autism and cerebral palsy are concerned.....how would anyone know? These folks are so in-bred it might just be natural behavior!
Marbear Jul 9th 2008 10:41AM
I am really tired of special needs being used as a special EXCUSE... Many children with special needs with ATTENTIVE and decent parents fly, ride or travel with little issue. These children are a mirror image of their incompetant mother who was just looking for a reason to suck the system of more money. She couldn't afford the tickets. So DONT GO, she had no traveling money, what if the SPECIAL NEEDS kids needed something? she couldn't pay for it!!!! so if it wasn't this it would have been something else. People like that need to be sterilized. She has no clue how to be a parent let alone support them and I see her sister is following in her footsteps.. This has nothing to do with AMERICAN'S.... there are ignorant parents in very country..
AB Jul 9th 2008 10:46AM
I Love It. You get what you pay for. The ones complaining the loudest are the same ones who want these cheap or free seats... Here's to the entitled because they fly the most. Here's to free flights for all the problems it has created... Does anyone remember the CAB?
CU Jul 9th 2008 10:51AM
ANY parent needs to prepare adequately for traveling with ANY child. That includes things to keep them occupied, that they are properly fed, dressed and are able to conduct themselves appropriately in public. The PARENT is responsible for their CHILD first and foremost. Perhaps these children aren't quite ready to fly. PARENTING requires responsible, age appropriate choices.
Compensate poor parental decisions? No way.
dee cortez Jul 10th 2008 11:27AM
OH LORD!! Most of the people that have commented CLEARLY DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN or have only been around Children that are introverts with the energy. ARE YOU KIDDING?? I don't care what you do, when a child is having a day...THE KID IS HAVING A DAY! Period. If it happens to be on a day that you are flying...well you are S.O.L. The family should have NEVER been kicked off the Airline...PERIOD! It is a flight...not a spa. You never know what you are going to get, sometimes the guy next yo you is sick. Sometimes there is a psycho kid. Point is, everyone should have equal rights....unless of course that Mother told the staff to stick it.....that would be different. If that didn't happen...Southwest is going to shell out a pretty penny!! I will be happy about it too. What is the deal with Phoenix?? Stuff ALWAYS happens in Phoenix!!!
JKSP1957 Jul 9th 2008 11:01AM
THANK YOU SOUTHWEST... If the parent isn't going to be responsible for their children, thank god, Southwest stepped in for their paying customers. It amazes me that you have to have a license to have a dog,, but, any inept, no class, uneducated, walking womb can have 4 children, and fly without any money, concern, alternate plan, responsibilty, common sense, without a clue parent, not have to have a license. I bet peoples choice of birth control escalated when they had to deal with this unfortunate, not un common issue. I pay money to fly safely and comfortably. Not have to deal with this issue. GOOD JOB SOUTHWEST, now maybe the rest of the Airlines will follow suit.
SF Jul 9th 2008 11:59AM
I've traveled with my children, including one with severe (and for a while untreated) ADHD, and my husband and I kept them under control. I sympathise with a parent who must travel with a child with a behavioral disability. But autistic kids are not necessarily disruptive, and neither are children with CP. It seemed to me, from watching the video, that this woman doesn't have control over /any/ of the children. That's bad enough in a restaurant. It's unbearable on a three-hour flight, and also unsafe. Maybe the airlines need to make it clear up front that parents will be held responsible for children's poor behavior, and that being booted off a flight is a possibility. If a child's disability makes it /impossible/ for that child to be quiet and still, there should be a doctor's note. Otherwise, parents who can't control their children should bring extra help or find another mode of transport. Flying isn't a right.
Deanna Jul 9th 2008 12:29PM
So, after all that transpired on the Southwest flight, the Grandmother spent $2, 00.00 to fly them the rest of the way to Seattle. Here's a thought.....how bout next year, Grandma buys a ticket to go and visit them, instead of dragging 4 unruly brats, 2 of which are autistic and uncontrolable, across the country. Or better yet, send the Mother enough money to inflate the wheels on her trailer and drive to Seattle.
Dona Jul 9th 2008 1:45PM
Last year while on a Southwest Flight -there was a family with three children flying- They were loud, and unruly. They continued to kick my seat, and were trying to climb over to my seat and also to the seat in back of them. The parents never scolded them; they acted as though they thought it was cute. The father kept saying we are on an adventure. I did not want to complain as I am a mother of 6 children and 5 grandchildren and know that sometimes children can be excited and unruly so I offered to trade places for a while so that one child could sit with my husband on one with me -thinking that if they had our attention they would settle down. Our offer was refused. I wasn't as upset with the kids as I was with the parents. They allowed their children to behave in such a way that it ruined the flight for everyone on the plane. The flight attendant asked them several times to please get the children settled down and after the flight I noticed the airline personnel were talking with them at length -- if they telling them that they could not board their connecting flight, I would understand. Southwest airlines have always provided us with safe flights and I think they tried this time.
peggo14 Jul 9th 2008 5:44PM
As a veteran flight attendant who was almost killed in turbulence two years ago, let me say this. Parents who allow their children to wander around up and down the aisles on airplanes, even with the seatbelt sign off, are asking for trouble.
Before I got hurt, I had many occasions to gently remind parents that in unexpected turbulence, a little kid becomes a missile, flying through the air. The ceiling is not padded, as my fractured skull can attest. A child would have died from my injuries.
Parents even of disabled children need to know the rules and fly prepared. Rules are for the safety of everyone onboard. Bring books, colors, blankies, binkies, yes, even benedryl. We are talking life and death here. You never know.
Flight attendants are not baby sitters. We are highly trained certified safety professionals. The crew acted in the interest of the other hundred or so passengers
The crew was right to boot them off.
Jeff Jul 9th 2008 6:12PM
I am also sick of people not controlling thier kids on planes. There is a sceaming child on every flight. I think the flight attendants should be armed with tranquilizer guns and just pop thise little bastards when they get loud.
Lucy Jul 9th 2008 6:43PM
nismo0315... Autistic children are not retards as you so kindly called them !!! Their (not there) parents are probably not white trash either. Unless you know what you are talking about, stay home to drink your cocktail... I'm sure it is much more peaceful there. I can't imagine anyone wanting to be around you.
matteroffact Jul 9th 2008 10:02PM
Out of control children are absolutely, 100% a flight hazard. You have an autistic child and that's the hand you were dealt. Unfortunately, there are unfair disadvantages that go with that and one is the fact you may not be able to fly on an airplane. I have 4 perfectly healthy children and plenty of money to fly, however I'd rather have every one of my teeth pulled out than fly across the country with them.
kristina Jul 10th 2008 2:11PM
I have to respond to Susan number (42). Great job Krstyal! Unlike Susan with her are they afraid to be bad children or afraid of you jab. Sounds like you want to be a parent to your children and not their friend. Gee, could that be because it's your job to be the parent. Children will act up in public ,and most of the time not always it's from bad parenting. When you say no please don't change it to maybe then yes. Be the parent. They will find their own friends.
deleted Jul 17th 2008 6:11PM
It would be my luck to be seated in the middle seat between the mom and the autistic kid. I had to ride a train once next to a really huge austic kid that was probably 16 or 17, it was the longest, most excruciating trip of my life!!! I contemplated suicide at the end of it!! Don't get me wrong, a lot of the posts I put on here seem mean or harsh, but in real life I'm one of the most respectful, soft spoken people anyone would ever know!! But it would really suck having some loud brat repeating things and crying the whole trip!!! The mom should've known and had the decency enough to not bring it onto the plane!!
Bren Jul 30th 2008 5:32AM
You kind of missed the part about how the adults themselves began to misbehave when the flight attendants brought up the fact that they where letting their kids run up and down the ails in the middle of the flight. A lot of the people on that flight noted that the adults where ignoring the behavior of the children, and that the behavior from the adults escalated the situation. According to the attendants and one of the passengers that had been questioned the adults where using vulgar language and began to act very aggressively towards the attendants. One of the passengers who was interviewed even called it "the flight from hell," stating that is was the worst flight he had ever been on. I don't know about other people but if I had a child with special needs I would not be ignoring my children as if nothing was happening.
In a few other articles I read and saw on the news the flight wasn't suppose to be connecting in Phoenix. The plane landed in Phoenix in order to get the family off and then continue on to Seattle. The pilot of the aircraft saw the family as a danger. (Note that is was the entire family, not just the children) It was reported that the pilot was distracted because of the commotion and came dangerously near another plane in the air. So he made the decision to stop the flight in Phoenix.
The grandmother wanted the 2000 dollars because of what she had to pay to fly the family out to Seattle. If I had been her personally I would have been ashamed of my family's behavior and made them pay me back for it, not the airline who was supposedly following safety protocol.
I am sure that pilots have a lot on their plate every time they fly. The safety of all the passengers on the plane should be top priority. If the flight crew was unaware of the children's special needs I think that is a safety concern when you're a couple thousand feet in the air and it should have been the parents responsibility to let the crew be made aware.