Toddler tossed off plane for temper tantrum

[evearael]

A 3 year old girl and her family were kicked off an AirTran plane because the little girl had a temper tantrum.
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/COLUMN01/701210459/1008/NEWS02?page1

The airline has the right to kick off anyone they choose, but do you think they acted appropriately?

 

[RevOxley_501]

i would do the same thing

 

[FatMan]

i would do the same thing

Agree. A crying child in an of itself is just a disturbance. One who won't sit down and who has refused after several attempts becomes a situation that must be dealt with separately.

 

[cturne]

I guess if I had been a passenger on the plane, I would have been relieved, but from a parent's perspective, I know that little ones can be unpredictable - to say the least! I think the airline could have/should have been more understanding. As the mother was quoted in the article - "It's not like there was a bomb strapped to her".

 

[RevOxley_501]

they are perfectly predictable if the right amount of force is used when spanking


spoiled toddlers=Terrorists and should be treated as such

 

[FatMan]

I guess if I had been a passenger on the plane, I would have been relieved, but from a parent's perspective, I know that little ones can be unpredictable - to say the least! I think the airline could have/should have been more understanding. As the mother was quoted in the article - "It's not like there was a bomb strapped to her".

I'm one of the rare people who doesn't mind a crying kid on a plane. I have two children and I know my daughter threw a doozy of a tantrum on one flight. But, throwing a tantrum and interfering with takeoff of a plane are two different things. As strict as it seems, airlines have to adhere to standards so they can keep on schedule.

 

[lunamoth]

The airline has the right to kick off anyone they choose, but do you think they acted appropriately?

According to the article it looks like even the airline thinks this was handled wrong.

As a parent who knows that tantrums do not usually have anything to do with how well a kid is disciplined by the parents, I have a lot of sympathy here for the parents. The question is whether the disruption was delaying the take-off of the flight by an unreasonable amount of time (and lets remember how long we can find ourselves sitting on the plane for one delay or another). Was it just that the girl was being a noisy disturbance or was it a safety issue, that she was not in her seat.

Judge me if you want, but I'm bigger than my children and if they refuse to be buckled into a car seat I will firmly (but gently of course) put them there and make them stay. It's not pretty, it's loud, but it certainly can be safely done. When it comes to safety issues, there's no negotiation.

Having said that, I have found some airlines to be quite insensitive, unhelpful and outright antagonistic toward parents with small children. My girls are very very good on planes, thank God because we fly a lot with them, but when they were toddlers I definitley got the feeling that the attendants (on some airlines) would rather not have to deal with us.

 

[RevOxley_501]

i dislike children in a way i can hardly describe, so i feel for the attendants, they probably hear screaming little brats all too often.

honestly there is no excuse, unless it is severe pain and the inability to express it in other ways that causes it, even then you are pushing it. Disciplined children do not have tantrums---and if they do, it wont last very long at all...

I had a fear of my parents that was beyond healthy---but i can promise you tantrums NEVER happened...--and i think that tantrums could be prevented with much less severe measures than what my dad went to.

 

[Quiddity]

i dislike children in a way i can hardly describe,

I find this sad, but whatever. Just stay away from humanity in general, cause children aren't going away anytime soon.

I've always had a high tolerance for such things. Even before I was a father. A child can be screaming his head off and I keep cool. As for the situation, I can't imagine how a group of adults couldn't handle the situation better then to kick them off.

 

[Comprehend]

I think the airline made the wrong choice and I think their actions show they agree. They refunded the $600 tickets and then offered the parents free tickets to anywhere. The airline runs a business that handles thousands of people every day. They should expect challenges. Some people weigh 350 pounds, some stink, some cry. Work around it.

 

[Booko]

Disciplined children do not have tantrums---and if they do, it wont last very long at all...

Oh yes they do, and yes it can last a while. We had a heckuva time when Ellen was younger -- until we found her dairy allergy.

I don't suppose you'd be really easygoing if you only took a dump once a week either, and that while taking milk of magnesia daily.

Well, she could go into nuclear meltdown very unexpectedly. I could tell the signs because she'd get listless and then turn grey, and then I got her the heck out of whereever we were quickly and took her home.

I had a fear of my parents that was beyond healthy---but i can promise you tantrums NEVER happened...--and i think that tantrums could be prevented with much less severe measures than what my dad went to.

Your digestion probably wasn't shut down for 10 years running either. Big difference.

Oh, btw, I've compared notes with others who have kids with food allergies. They have very similar experiences to mine.

I found this snippet in the article interesting, though:

Her mom thinks it may have been because of the ear surgery Elly underwent earlier this month, and perhaps her memory of the discomfort and ear pressure she endured during the plane’s descent into Florida.

The few times I took them on a plane, this was my approach:

1. Schedule a flight so it doesn't coincide with "fussy time".
2. Give 'em Sudafed just before takeoff to prevent any ear problems. If you wait until you're in the air -- too late!


One final thought: the techniques that my parents (and probably yours) used to use to end temper tantrums, if used today, would get you tossed in the pokey and your kids taken away from you.

Have fun with that thought.

 

[RevOxley_501]

i said that if it was pain they couldnt express otherwise there was an exception

 

[RevOxley_501]

and on another note, why the heck would you take a child fresh from surgery on a plane anyway, how selfish is that...

in that case, the parents SHOULD be kicked off, for mere stupidity.

 

[Djamila]

Give that airline an award for me, please.

 

[RevOxley_501]

gosh mila

i love you more every day


im not gonna tell my wife about you!

 

[SoyLeche]

They refunded the $600 tickets and then offered the parents free tickets to anywhere.

I think that if an airline makes the decision not to give someone the service they paid for - they should be required to give them a refund. They don't have to perform the service, but they don't get to keep the money too.

 

[evearael]

As far as child rearing and discipline go, the fact of the matter is that even the most well-behaved toddlers who are disciplined appropriately will have the occasional meltdown. It is normal for that stage of development. It seems that the parents in question were more concerned with the noise issue... giving the child a minute to calm down... than the safety issue... putting the child in the seat, kicking and screaming, meanwhile the attendant was more concerned with the safety issue so they could take off... as well as likely annoyed about the tantrum.

The parents messed up because...
~ They waited to put the child in the seat, though they likely had good intentions.
~ The source of the tantrum could have easily been the ear surgery the child had a month ago.

The flight attendant messed up because...
~ She was unnecessarily rude.
~ She banned the family from flying for 24 hours, which is certainly not warranted for a single temper tantrum.

This situation ccould have easily been prevented...
~ If families with small children were allowed to pre-board... This is standard practice for most of the flights I've been on and makes quite a bit of sense considering the time necessary to strap down the car or booster seat before you are even able to put the child in the seat. If the child isn't strapped in by the time the other passengers board and at least reasonably calm, then asking them to board a later flight could certainly be in order.
~ If flight attendants were actually helpful and courteous. A helpful flight attendant can easily make the boarding process go much more smoothly and quickly for everyone. Every single one of those attendants deserves a raise. A courteous flight attendant would politely but firmly ask the family to get off the plane, if necessary, and direct them to the clerk who can book them on the next flight.

 

[Lindsey-Loo]

Nothing a good rear-end whipping wouldn't fix, as far as I'm concerned. I have no use for spoiled little kids who distract people and make them miserable....however, if the source of the problem was her ear, then I understand why she wouldn't want to fly again. However, I think the airline mostly handled the sitaution correctly. The parents didn't need a lecture, I don't think, but they should have been kicked off the plane and their money refunded.

 

[jamaesi]

Children aren't little adults- they can't and don't express themselves in a manner that a reasoned adult would. Flying is a stressful and scary experience, especially if you are sick, and especially if you are a child. Children feel pain much more acutely than adults do.
I think the airline handled this very very wrong.

they are perfectly predictable if the right amount of force is used when spanking


spoiled toddlers=Terrorists and should be treated as such

Yeah, because terrorists get scared for their own personal wellbeing. I couldn't imagine striking a child just because the child was upset because it scared or in pain.

 

[RevOxley_501]

my final word on the subject:

be glad that the plane was still on the ground... who knows who would have to clean that mess up