AirTran kicks 3-year old girl off flight after tantrum

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

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.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/23/D8MR41C02.html

[Savanphil 3]

hmmm, I don't blame them...what were they suposed to do? Let the brat get hurt somehow during take-off and get sued...or hold the entire flight up, for an hour or so bacause of 3 year old that wouldn't sit in her seat?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

hmmm, I don't blame them...what were they suposed to do? Let the brat get hurt somehow during take-off and get sued...or hold the entire flight up, for an hour or so bacause of 3 year old that wouldn't sit in her seat?

They should have just shot her with a tranquilizer dart.

[Savanphil 3]

hmmm, I don't blame them...what were they suposed to do? Let the brat get hurt somehow during take-off and get sued...or hold the entire flight up, for an hour or so bacause of 3 year old that wouldn't sit in her seat?

They should have just shot her with a tranquilizer dart.

[brnidokiegurl 0]

Sounds like someone needs a visit from the NANNY on tv

[Miranda&James 8]

They did what they should have done. If I was on that flight and had been delayed I'd have been pretty pissed, especially if the delay got dragged out as long as it took them to calm the brat down.

Love children, but hate children on airplanes.

[garya505 2]

I once took a 5 year old girl off a school bus I was driving. After she realized she was in deep sh!t because her parents were going to have to pick her up at school, she got real nice and I never had any trouble with her again. I think she was afraid of me after that.

[bostonparis 0]

I saw that on the news the other day, and thought "Good for them."

The parents were stunned that that could have happened. What do they expect? You can't control your 3 year old, get off the plane!

[heishe 2]

Control your damn kids, people.

Sometimes this means you have to pick them up and physically force them to comply.

[Ban Hammer 13,678]

I saw that on the news the other day, and thought "Good for them."

The parents were stunned that that could have happened. What do they expect? You can't control your 3 year old, get off the plane!

exactly. but if the plane had departed and the kid got hurt, they'd have lawyers camped on their doorstep.

[Fuzzness 2]

Having flown AirTran before, I doubt that they did anything to help the situation.

[mrc 0]

The little girl was a brat and was probably a terrorist anyway.

[Savanphil 3]

The little girl was a brat and was probably a terrorist anyway.

[Sinergy 3]

They shouldnt have reimbursed the family anything, the child was the reason they were kicked off. and rightfully they were kicked off the flight. i would have volunterringly gotten off the plane if my kids acted like that just so i wouldnt inconvience the other passengers.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

If any of my children had behaved like that at 3 years old, a sharp slap on the leg would have got then to sit in their seat.... people need to learn how to control their children instead of letting their children control them....

Kez