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.
“Donna is the only member of her family who has not been incarcerated.” (Her doctorate is in “Educational Leadership”)
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?
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.
Hidden in the story is the nugget that the cabin crew spent an hour trying to contain this situation. Enough is enough. Captain makes the call. Support the captain.
It is impossible for a person to open an airliner door at 36,000 feet.
...decision to kick off little girl and family....
***
Let’s see, is she a little girl? Is she 15? Is she 16? She is described as each of these in this stupid article. And 2 people wrote it!
This was not a baby. This was not a “little girl.” This was a berserk teenager. Even her mother admitted she was afraid her daughter might “scratch” someone.
I completely support the pilot and airline. It is the parents who owe an apology to the entire flight crew and all the passengers.
As others have said, I don’t like to fly much anymore. But if this is the policy of United, whenever I do fly, it will be on United.
Some people like to use their children as weapons against others. I think this is one of those cases.
Since the mom knew that the food in first class would be important to the daughter, she should have purchased first class seats. It looks like they could afford the tickets. The mom is a scammer.