Getting kicked off a plane

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There seems to be an increase in this happening. Is this due to more rude people traveling, flight attendants having more power, overly full flights with tight quarters, something else?

This happened to me last week..no not me personally I was a model passenger. But a young couple. with a toddler. Everyone seemed to board somewhat orderly and without incident except the bonehead who tried to damage my daughters guitar when I warned him to be careful of it when instead of putting his luggage in an empty overhead above him he thought it a good idea to shove his luggage into the guitar.

Anyway...the flight attendants asked one of the men in a row across from me if one minded changing seats (there was an empty middle seat between them) so a parent could sit next to their young child ...the man in the aisle seat after being told it was another aisle seat did so....that is when the drama started.

The child was 2 just a little too old to be a lap child and too young to fully understand the situation. She was having a full on temper tantrum. She did not want to sit in her seat and be buckled. I have no idea why the parents didn't bring on her carseat as I always did or some sort of snack or other item to distract her...I looked through my purse and stuff but since my kids are now young adults I had nothing to offer her. It was bad ...the mom tried to calm her ...but it wasn't working.

Finally they explained that if they couldn't calm her they would have to get off the plane....the mom kept saying I will calm her and kept saying but she is only 2 she doesn't understand and the mom refused to get up and leave, the captain came over and explained the rules and suggested they get off and maybe the child would calm for the next flight...dad came over getting angry saying we have to catch international flight...as they explained everyone else needs to get connections, we already explained to your wife...which caused the guy to start yelling at his wife.

It was getting ugly and finally they said it is beyond this if you don't get off now we will have to get everyone else off and we will bring in security this is your final chance...everyone else on the plane thank goodness remained calm including the poor sap in the window seat who was getting kicked by the child..I finally looked at the dad and said to him quietly you really should leave they will arrest you...I was worried that this stressed out family would get in trouble ... I think it finally clicked that this could happen and they packed their stuff and left.

I mean I felt for them ...granted they seemed ill prepared to travel appropriately with a young child..but it isn't like they are criminals..on the flip side yeah it is putting a full plane at risk of making their potential connections.

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I certainly do not fault the flight attendants... They need to deal with enough scrap...but I thought they could have offered the mom some cookies to maybe calm the child...I got a little bit of an impression that maybe they were concerned about their on time flight stats..the whole thing was a mess though with no winners

Even taking off late we still arrived a few minutes early ...the airlines now add extra time so iT appears they have more on time arrivals I've noticed

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I don't know how many flights I've been on, including long overseas flights, where there were screaming children. I've learned to bring ear plugs with me. I've never heard of any airline personnel telling a family they'd have to get off. That seems to me rather draconian. How long was the flight? I hope the airline promised them another flight when the child calmed down.

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@Mame,

It wasn’t the screaming … the child would not stay in her seat. She kept doing that thing where they slip out of their seat and seatbelt. My daughter was horrified worried the child would strangle herself on the seatbelt as her body slid down and the belt went around her neck.

I understand they have safety rules that you need to be in your seat with the seatbelt fasten but really how is that seatbelt really going to do anything for a toddler which is why I always brought the car seat.

So it was because she would not remain in her seat with the seatbelt around her. Not the crying and screaming. Oh the flight was probably an hour and half maybe 2 or more from gate to gate.

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@Linkat,

My youngest was four the first time I took him on a place. When the Kid was three we went on holiday in the South of France, but we took the ferry and drove there.

Being on a ferry is a lot different from being on a plane, there’s a lot to do on the cross channel ones with duty free shopping, restaurants and kid’s play areas.

Sorry, I’m starting to sound like an advert, what I’m saying is that I never took any of my kids on flights when they were that young. It’s not like they need to go abroad when they’re that young, there’s plenty to do at home. I know I’m sounding a bit parochial now, but even though we do have domestic flights, flying is usually associated with international travel.

I know that’s not the case where you are, but I would still question the need to take such a young kid on a flight in the first place. It would have to be something like a family emergency or crisis like a funeral or hospitalisation. Anything else, even a wedding I wouldn’t let a child I was responsible for travel at such a young age.

Even if it were the case that flight were unavoidable it’s their kid, they know what she’s like. They must have had some idea that something like this would happen, it can’t have been the first time she’d kicked off, it’s the terrible twos after all.

From what you’ve said they seem to have been totally unprepared, no favourite toy, special seat, DVDs or treats to keep them quiet. Hopefully next time they board a flight with their kid they might give it a bit of thought beforehand.

They sound quite ignorant and completely oblivious to those around them, not taking stuff to calm the kid down is rude, and they deserved to be thrown off for that alone. It displays a shocking level of contempt for everyone else, it really does.

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@Linkat,

Everything I see suggests that the upswing in air rage is directly related to the pandemic.

There have always been unruly passengers. The pandemic is apparently pushing normally restrained people over the edge.

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@izzythepush,

Yes I can see where you live where the need to fly with a young one for the most part would be unnecessary.

We have family throughout the US - this means in the worst cases over 3 thousand miles - we have family at least that far away. We have flown with my children since about a month old.

I think the difference between us and this couple is I was always overly prepared. A month old does not need much and was probably the easiest to travel with as she slept the entire time. But even as infants you need to consider things like the discomfort of taking off and landing so you need to be prepared for that.

Toddler is the worst age. When we traveled and our kids were toddlers - we would arrive at the airport very early. I would not allow them to sleep in the car ride over - actually waking them if they tried to drift off. Then at the airport bring them to the kids play area until it was close to boarding so they would be exhausted - it works like a charm - the minute the plane would start to take off - like the motion in a car they would fall asleep. Then you would bring things like new cheap toys (that if they lost them who would care) and you would pull a new one out each time the other seemed to bore them. If you transfer flights - I would find a spot and tell them to run as fast as they could to a certain point and run back - they thought it was a fun game - anything to release their energy.

In one sense, I felt bad - but like you said they boarded without a plan. And as a parent of a young child you should know not only do you need a plan A - but plan B, C and D if those don't work.

Were my kids perfect on flights - not at all. But it was never to a point of distraction to the flight crew. I have offered help to other parents but sometimes honestly I do not - more because you do not know the reaction you will get - sometimes they are thankful, but to be honest many take offense - like the time I offered one mom a coloring book and crayons for her child to use that was being a bit of a monster - he had nothing there to play with and was kicking the seat in front of him and moving all about - she is a rude way said I have some - I felt like saying then why don't you give him something to play with so he doesn't keep kicking the guy in front of him.

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@izzythepush,

izzythepush wrote:

My youngest was four the first time I took him on a place. When the Kid was three we went on holiday in the South of France, but we took the ferry and drove there.

Being on a ferry is a lot different from being on a plane, there’s a lot to do on the cross channel ones with duty free shopping, restaurants and kid’s play areas.

Sorry, I’m starting to sound like an advert, what I’m saying is that I never took any of my kids on flights when they were that young. It’s not like they need to go abroad when they’re that young, there’s plenty to do at home. I know I’m sounding a bit parochial now, but even though we do have domestic flights, flying is usually associated with international travel.

I know that’s not the case where you are, but I would still question the need to take such a young kid on a flight in the first place. It would have to be something like a family emergency or crisis like a funeral or hospitalisation. Anything else, even a wedding I wouldn’t let a child I was responsible for travel at such a young age.

Even if it were the case that flight were unavoidable it’s their kid, they know what she’s like. They must have had some idea that something like this would happen, it can’t have been the first time she’d kicked off, it’s the terrible twos after all.

From what you’ve said they seem to have been totally unprepared, no favourite toy, special seat, DVDs or treats to keep them quiet. Hopefully next time they board a flight with their kid they might give it a bit of thought beforehand.

They sound quite ignorant and completely oblivious to those around them, not taking stuff to calm the kid down is rude, and they deserved to be thrown off for that alone. It displays a shocking level of contempt for everyone else, it really does.

I understand a shot of Johnny Black works quite well to quite a kid.

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@Frank Apisa,

Yeah, just put a little Kahlua in their milk Smile

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