Parents Talk: Babes on a Plane
What should airlines do when there's an unruly child onboard a flight?
Over the weekend, I experienced one of the most disruptive flights ever in my years as an air traveler.
I should have known before the flight even left the ground that this wasn't going to end well. A little girl, maybe 4 years-old, and her mom sat directly in front of me on a near three-hour flight back to Des Moines.
Before we had even left the ground, passengers on the plane couldn't help but hear the screeches, screams, and crying coming from this pint-size flyer.
Once we took off, she whined, kicked, threw her coloring books, her crayons, and even a portable DVD player onto the floor and refused to stay in her seat.
As a mom myself, I'm totally sympathetic. I know how kids can get and there really is only so much you can do when a child gets out of line on a plane. But this girl went above and beyond anything any of my kids has ever done in flight. I honestly wouldn't have known what to do at that point.
I started thinking about all the stories of families who were actually asked to depart a flight because of a disruptive child.
In March, a Skywest crew removed a family when their two children refused to fasten their seat belts. In February, a 2 year-old and her family were given the boot from a JetBlue flight when the child refused to sit down.
What do you think? Do airlines have the right to remove a family from a plane if they deem a child disruptive? Tell us in the comments.
Don B
12:08 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012
Yes, I believe that the airlines have the right to expect a certain level of cooperation and not to much disturbance from the child(sitting in their seats,buckling their seatbelts, staying reasonably quiet, and not throwing things about the cabin). We don't tolerate passengers who have had too much to drink and cause disturbances or are uncooperative with the flight crew. Flighing is a priveledge not a right.
Jim Zupan
2:36 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012
Of course they should throw them off the plane. Too many parents today let their children dictate policy. Parents need to be held accountable for their children’s behavior. Not much you can do with a crying baby, but unruly children are a product of poor parenting and should be dealt with.
Erv Server
12:05 am on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Yes airlines should remove any people who are loud and disruptive. I'm a bit more tolerant in retail stores. There is much more space and the sound isn't confined, but go into any grocery store on any day and there are bratty kids doing whatever they please. Bad parenting is to blame all around
Amber
4:11 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Yes but no.... I guess I have had that disruptive child on the plane. I apologized a million times but there was nothing I could do. Our little man whom was 8 months at the time screamed the whole flight for 2.5 hours. Myself and my husband felt so bad for our little man and the other passengers. We left the airport and went straight to the ER only to find out he had ear infection. I felt like the worlds worst mom!!! But we have also had a him cry on a flight because he had motion sickness and had people being rude to me due to him crying. Again something I couldnt control. So in these situations I dont see that we should have been removed from the plane but if he was screaming and being unruly then Yes we as parents should be held responsible for his actions. A little bit of noise and such is one thing but more is totally uncalled for and as parents we should set out our expectations before we get on the plane so our children understand what should be done!!!
Anne Carothers-Kay
4:34 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Sounds like both the cases where the families were asked to leave the plane involved failure to be able to secure children and have them follow the safety rules. I think that's justified. And I will confess that while waiting for a recent flight, I was mightily relieved to discover that an unruly child near us in the airport was NOT on our flight. HOWEVER, children cry and are sometimes annoying and disruptive. It's up to the grownups on the to be patient and tolerant (any maybe bring earplugs)
Fluffoo
2:30 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
I'm dreading the day I finally have to take my ADHD/ODD son on a plane. When he's going into an unknown situation, no matter how many times you explain it to him or how much fun it is going to be, he is going to be afraid. And he could be just fine...or not. I have definitely become a more patient person because of him.
Maria Houser Conzemius
2:19 pm on Friday, July 13, 2012
Yes, families should be asked to deboard the plane if their children won't fasten their seat belts, stay in their seats, or scream and cry constantly. While we've all experienced the embarrassment of a child out of control, I don't think the comfort of an entire planeload of people should be disrupted to accommodate one person, even if that person is a child.