Does it upset you that some airlines kick unruly kids off of planes?

Question

I mean, they ARE a business, and screaming kids running through the aisles isn't exactly safe, but it sucks at the same time. They do make sedatives for people with problems flying, and the mothers clearly didn't take the time to get some.

What do you think? Do stories like this one:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/07/dnt.family.off.plane.kiro

make you angry?

Is the airline justified in these actions, or not?

Answer 1

Liberty, as an airline agent I have had to remove parents and children from flights, and in every case, when the flight commenced again, the other passengers applauded. As a passenger myself, I hate to have to put up with misbehaving children in the boarding areas, much less on the aircraft. I have seen parents who let their children run amok in airports. Twice I had to have the police intervene. The fact that the parents had to pay additional fares was their problem. If parents do not control their children, something has to be done. It is the call of the gate agent or the flight crew as to what to do. It is a balancing act toward transporting a couple of uncontrollable children and making up to 500 people suffer.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 2

Yes, they're justified in their actions. Any other unruly passenger would be escorted off the plane - in this case, that passenger happens to be a child.

Answer 3

I think the airline is justified.  Stories like that don't make me angry - they make me pleased that airlines are considering the comfort of the majority of the passengers.

There's a safety issue as well as the comfort of all the other passengers.  If you can't control  your kids, don't fly....buying a ticket doesn't give you the right to disturb everyone else.

Answer 4

I have flown all over the world since I was a one year old. In my adult life I have flown constantly as well.

Sure kids will be kids and all understand this. But so very often the staff on the plane try to explain over and over to a parent that this is the way it goes but they disregard it. If the parent comports themselves with a bit of class the flight attendants will bend over backward to avoid trouble.

The link you have is obvious. It was a bunch of super low rent people who refused to comply. So they just booted them off the plane in order to cover their bases.

Answer 5

No this story or ones like do not make me angry.  I get angry when I am sandwhiched between the crazy kids!  Sorry but if you can't control your kids then they can't fly.  The only part that is questionable in this particular case are the children with disabilities.  We should make allowance - no we have to make allowance for a child with a disability (or an adult), but from reading the story and watching the video, I don't think the disabilities played much of role - I think this mother has raised kids that are out of control in most enviornments, but on an airline, it simply can not be tolerated.  I am curious about the $2K the grandmother stated she had to spend on new airline tickets - that's alarming.  And I would probably add that a final warning should have been given (if it wasn't) that explained they will not be able to get on the connection flight if the kids did not respect the rules of the flight (whatever those may have been).

Answer 6

Not at all. Yes, a family could have paid a great deal of money for plane tickets, but if they cannot control their children and they are disturbing the other customers on the plane who paid just as much for a peaceful flight, they should be removed after given a chance to tend to their children. Flying is stressful enough in this day and age, and while kids will be kids, parents really need to step up and teach their children to behave or sedate them if they are one of those "extreme" cases. Bring a coloring book, dvd player, whatever you need to keep your child occupied. It CAN be done. The airlines are justitifed, but they must also handle the situation delicately and professionally.

Answer 7

No if the child cannot be controlled by a parent or the person they are traveling with the airline can do nothing but ask them to please exit the aircraft.

Answer 8

Well, if the airplane holds, say, 200 people, the airline has to make the call of "do we make 5 people mad, or make 195 people mad?"

I say they made the right call.  The airline should not force their other paying customers to be trapped with some screaming brat for hours and hours.

Answer 9

people sometimes pay A LOT of money for a plane ticket and they want to enjoy the flight and NOT have to listen to annoying kids that need to be controlled by their parents. if people don't have any courtesy for other people, then they should not expose themselves to the public.