Posted on 05/10/2015 2:40:11 PM PDT by Morgana
FULL TITLE: 'It's fear of autism': Fellow passenger says she SUPPORTS plane decision to kick off little girl and family as United refuse to apologize and mother calls for action
A controversial decision by a United Airlines pilot to make an emergency landing to remove a family because their autistic daughter was being 'disruptive' has received support from at least one passenger onboard.
The airline has so far refused to apologise over the May 5 incident which saw Dr Donna Beegle, her husband, son and their 15-year-old daughter Juliette removed during an emergency stop in Salt Lake City as they flew on a connecting flight from Houston to Portland.
Now passenger Marilyn Hedlund has spoken out to voice her support for the airline which is being threatened with a discrimination lawsuit by Beegle.
Hedlund told KOIN6 that the 16-year-old girl wasn't removed because she has autism but because her behavior threatened the safety of everyone onboard the plane.
'She wasn't put off the plane because she had autism, she was put off the plane because she was maybe proposing some kind of a threat, to (about) 170 other people at 36,000 feet, which doesn't make anyone feel safe,' Hedlund said.
'What if she got crazy and got up and opened an exit door at 36,000 feet?'
She praised the flight attendants for how they had been working quietly with the family for nearly an hour before the pilot made the decision to make an emergency landing.
'There was a lot of howling, and we thought well, what's going on? And it never stopped,' Hedlund said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Well, its unfortunate, and you can’t really blame a girl who has a mental health issue, but you can’t jeapordise the safety of an aircraft just to avoid hurting the family’s feelings.
The headline is misleading. I wouldn’t call a 15-year-old a “little girl.”
If you’re disruptive, I agree...get off. I paid for a flight, I didn’t pay to fly in an insane asylum.
>>’What if she got crazy and got up and opened an exit door at 36,000 feet?’ <<
Then she’s Supergirl because you can’t open the exit doors at 36000 feet.
Public disruption is one thing, but presuming some sort of berserker behavior “might” happen is just indefensible ignorance. The captain should have just stuck to the fact that the girl was howling and moaning and being disruptive to everyone. That was enough to stop the flight. It’s hard enough for people to deal with special needs children without having to deal with free-floating imaginary histrionic fear-mongerings about them.
Well, that can't happen. But If I'd been stuck on a plane with an out of control teenager, I might have volunteered to assist with the duct tape.
>>’What if she got crazy and got up and opened an exit door at 36,000 feet?’
It’s worth expanding on that. This is physically impossible. Exit doors are held shut by air pressure while in-flight. It would take the Incredible Hulk to open an exit door.
“Donna is the only member of her family who has not been incarcerated.” (Her doctorate is in “Educational Leadership”)
I’ve seen the meltdowns that autistics have, pretty dangerous. However I viewed the tape another passenger made. Those people were crammed in like sardines! Tell me how that girl was going to harm anyone in such little space much less open the cabin door?? Oh please. The child was pinned against the window with both her parents. Most she could do was scream like an opera singer and from what I’ve heard a lot of babies on board do far worse.
She'd have to have the strength of the Hulk...
Assuming she did, then yes, I would fear for my life with her on board. /s
What exactly is disruptive?
You might read my post, instead of what I quoted.
My nephew’s son is autistic, but would never imagine making anyone other than himself and his wife responsible for controlling his child. They’ve taken international trips and have made sure to have their son fully in control for the flights.
The parents who demand others simply accept their child how ever they are should be the ones apologizing for the disruption and not handling the issue. They know what their daughter needs, and demanding others deal and accept it is the height of hubris.
Tough call but they probably had to do it.
She was acting like a tard and being a danger to others.
One does not act a tard on a plane.
You know what? Babies don’t cry on flights because they want to, they do it because they are upset or hurting. People who don’t understand that can go to hell. I think they must not have kids.
“Babies don’t cry on flights because they want to, they do it because they are upset or hurting. “
You know this, I know this, but people who fly on airlines don’t seem to know this. There have been women with babies thrown off planes just because the baby was crying too much.
I fly 400k miles a year and am always amazed when I hear snotty comments about it. With three daughters whom traveled internationally, I don’t even notice the crying.
You do.
Unless you have been drinking that is.
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