Screaming 3 year old gets parents free airline tickets!

[Catlady711]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/...8MR41C02.shtml

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 23, 2007
By JIM ELLIS Associated Press Writer
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(AP) 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.

The Kuleszas planned to fly home to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers after a four-day visit with the girl's paternal grandparents. 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.

"The flight was already delayed 15 minutes and in fairness to the other 112 passengers on the plane, the crew made an operational decision to remove the family," Graham-Weaver said.

But Julie Kulesza said: "We weren't giving an opportunity to hold her, console her or anything."

"Elly was sitting in front of our seat crying," she said in a phone interview. "The attendant motioned to a seat and asked if we purchased it for her."

They had paid for the seat. Gerry Kulesza said another attendant then approached the family and told him: "You need to get her in control and in her seat."

The couple told the attendants they were trying. Julie Kulesza said she asked the attendants if Elly could sit on her lap, but they said no.

The family flew home the next day.

The Orlando-based carrier reimbursed the family $595.80, the cost of the three tickets, and offered them three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies, Graham-Weaver said.

But that's too little, too late for the Kuleszas. The father said they would never fly AirTran again.


You've GOT to be kidding me...

1) Do these parents simply not care that 112 other people had to endure listening to this child's tantrum and have their own flight delayed?

2) How heavy can a 3 year old possibly be that they could not simply pick her up and PUT her in her seat??

3) And to top it all off the airline whimps out after booting the family off and turns around to not only refund their ticket money (which isn't so bad) BUT goes ahead and gives the family THREE FREE roundtrip airfare tickets!!!???!!??

So what is this telling people? That if you don't have control over your toddlers you get rewarded with free tickets???

[Catty1]

Hey, everyone fly Tran Air! That screaming toddler won't be on there any more!!!

[CathyBogart]

This is why I don't travel much. People are so entitlement-minded they think their little pweshus angel should be the most important thing. I am absolutely disgusted by the airline's complete turnaround from responsible behavior to pandering to whiny parents.

Just reinforcing the attitude that bratleigh should be the center of everyone's world.

[DrKym]

leave child with maternal grandparents ,fly to see other half.......or better yet have gramma and grampa fly....wait oh wait?

Teach your child respect and manners. Put child in seat tell child she/he will pay for the rest of its life with chores. but get into seat now or mommy and daddy will .........

oops sorry not PC , however since I have never raised a hand to my kids and for some reason ppl meet kids my kids that dont exist in this house.. ( wow they are so sweet, helpful , respectful, tidy etc) uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok. Looks into said childs room that looks like an atom bomb hit it and says for the 12th time do your chores or I will make you pay for college.......

This whole thing is riduculous. In a sense this plane was hijacked by a 3 yr olds tantrum and the parents that were unwilling to set limits.
Think about this for one moment..child flew out there no issues...return flight? had issues, at that point you set your foot down lean over if you feel you must hold her/him and tell child quietly to stop.

Then the rest of us that do fly endure flight with screaming toddler, making fun of you behind your back in comedy houses all over US.

[dukedogsmom]

Here's yet another reason why I just love Air Tran! I am so glad someone finally took a stand on this. As someone on a talk show pointed out yesterday morning: The only mistake the airline made was offering them free tickets. I'm sure Air Tran was delighted when the fambly said they'd never fly Air Tran again. Had I been there, I'd have given a standing ovation. I fly out of Tampa to lessen the chances of these type things happening.

[Cataholic]

Screaming toddlers are no fun. I have one, at times. I would say that forcing a 3 year old into a seat isn't really all that 'easy'. I have tried forcing a 2 year old into his carseat on occasion, and found it much easier to let him calm down. Of course, there aren't 112 passengers in my car. Which is a good thing, as I have a Honda Civic.

Things like this are one of the reasons I don't go out much. You just can't "count" on a toddler to behave. We did fly in July, at 22 months, and he was a dream on the way out, but, spent alot of time kicking the seat ahead of him on the way home. Thankfully, it was a short flight.

[wolflady]

This is why I don't travel much. People are so entitlement-minded they think their little pweshus angel should be the most important thing. I am absolutely disgusted by the airline's complete turnaround from responsible behavior to pandering to whiny parents.

Just reinforcing the attitude that bratleigh should be the center of everyone's world.

I agree!

I think the airline did the right thing by kicking the family off, but then whimped out with the freebie tickets. They already refunded the flight cost, that should have been enough. My parents rarely went anywhere when my sisters and I were young simpley because little kids can be unpredictable. However, that said, my parents always had good control over us, and I would never have dreamed of behaving like some of the kids do today when I was little. My parents would not stand for it.

*sigh*

When/if I ever have kids, I will avoid unnecessary travelling (by plane) simply because I don't want to be that annoying person with the screaming brat. It is disruptive to the entire plane when children are not well-mannered.

[borzoimom]

Hey, everyone fly Tran Air! That screaming toddler won't be on there any more!!!

Amen!!! lol.. I wonder if this was the same kid on our last flight .. ( yes I am kidding..) Lets be serious here people- if you can not hold a 35 pound child in a car accident- how do you think can can hold a child in a airplane??? The attendants are responsible for all rules on the plane.. Jeez.. lol.

[sirrahbed]

I mostly stayed home when I had toddlers - for this very reason. There is just no good way to deal with a screaming toddler. I am also wondering why the parents could not have just forced her into the seat though.

I think offering the free tickets is what bothers me.

[Blue_Frog]

I used to fly a lot for work, and would have appreciated the staff removing a few people from the plane before takeoff (read: the really really stinky guy next to me, the toddler that cried from the waiting room straight through for the entire red eye flight from LA to Toronto, the toddler that screamed from the waiting area right through the entire flight from Toronto to Newark, etc.) --

I'm glad to hear that they removed this family though, since even a 15 min. lateness can throw you off and add to your stress levels for catching a connecting flight - that and the fact that they were inconveniencing the other 112 people.

On the other hand, I do have sympathy for people whos kids just won't calm down - its one thing if you're in your car or at the mall and can go home, or take the time to calm down the kid, but entirely another in a forced public venue like a flight. So I think that the airline did right by reimbursing them the flight $, and they did fly home the next day. Like most of the other posts, the only thing thats annoying was the fact they were given free flight passes.

No one offered ME free flight passes when i had to wait on the tarmac on Contenental for 13 HOURS for a flight from Toronto to Newark (about 1.15 hrs). *grumble grumble stupid airline* ...

[Randi]

I'm glad to hear that they removed this family though, since even a 15 min. lateness can throw you off and add to your stress levels for catching a connecting flight - that and the fact that they were inconveniencing the other 112 people.

On the other hand, I do have sympathy for people whos kids just won't calm down - its one thing if you're in your car or at the mall and can go home, or take the time to calm down the kid, but entirely another in a forced public venue like a flight. So I think that the airline did right by reimbursing them the flight $, and they did fly home the next day. Like most of the other posts, the only thing thats annoying was the fact they were given free flight passes.

I totally agree with this!!

[Cataholic]

Lets be serious here people- if you can not hold a 35 pound child in a car accident- how do you think can can hold a child in a airplane???

Well, whether you are holding a child or not, on a plane, chances are good it isn't going to make one bit of difference. Most people do not survive a plane crash, belted in, or not.

[finn's mom]

I'm also only bothered by the fact that they gave them free passes. Sissies.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Well, whether you are holding a child or not, on a plane, chances are good it isn't going to make one bit of difference. Most people do not survive a plane crash, belted in, or not.

They may not survive a plane crash, but sometimes turbulence can send a person flying. I little toddler would be ok in their seats with their seatbelt fastened, but I don't think they would be very safe in someone's lap in that case.


The airline gave them 15 minutes to get the kid in his/her seat. They should have been given a refund but I don't think they deserved free tickets anywhere on top of that.

[cassiesmom]

Federal Aviation Administration rules that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seatbelt upon takeoff.

I wonder why all children (including those two and younger) are not required to have their own seat?