Posted on 01/22/2007 10:51:57 AM PST by MotleyGirl70
Meet Elly Kulesza, Terror Toddler.
In her finer moments—mainly when she’s on land — 3-year-old Elly is an adorable and sweet-mannered child, a blue-eyed charmer who likes to dance and harbors a particular fondness for Thomas the Tank Engine.
“She’s a typical 3-year-old,” said her mother, Julie Kulesza of 7 Primrose St. in Worcester. “She has her moments like all 3-year-olds, but she’s not like one of those ‘Nanny 911’ children you see on TV.”
Elly’s dad, Gerald Kulesza, is a full-time EMT in Boston who also attends nursing school full time, and he did so well last semester that Elly’s mom surprised her husband with a trip to Florida to visit his parents, who live in Bonita Springs. So on Jan. 11, the family flew from Logan Airport to Fort Meyers on AirTran Airways, and even though it was Elly’s first plane trip she behaved like a dream and spent most of the flight coloring in her coloring book and watching movies on a portable DVD player.
“She was great,” her mom remembered. “When we made our descent into Florida we could see the water and she shouted, ‘Look, mommy, there’s the beach where we go swimming,’ and everyone laughed.”
Yes, it was a heartwarming moment for all concerned, and the trip was great, too. The family swam and went sightseeing, and on Jan 14 they drove back to the airport for the return trip home. They checked their luggage — a suitcase and a car seat. As they waited for their flight to be called, Elly contentedly munched on a bag of Cheetos and watched out the window as the planes took off and landed.
Then came … The Boarding. Suddenly and without warning, angelic little Elly morphed into every parents’ nightmare.
Her mom thinks it may have been because of the ear surgery Elly underwent earlier this month, and perhaps her memory of the discomfort and ear pressure she endured during the plane’s descent into Florida. For whatever reason, when they got on the plane, Elly started to cry and wouldn’t stop. Nor would she sit down — she plopped herself down on the floor in front of her seat and proceeded to throw a temper tantrum.
“I was trying to console her and the stewardess came over and said, ‘Did you buy that seat for her?’ remembers Ms. Kulesza, 31, who is four months pregnant. “I said yes, and she told me my daughter needs to sit in it. I told her I was trying.”
Moments later, an AirTran Airways employee armed with a walkie-talkie addressed Mr. Kulesza.
“Sir, you need to get her under control,” she said.
“We’re trying,” Mr. Kulesza noted.
The passengers, meanwhile, were quite understanding and one of them offered the toddler a lollipop, which she rejected. Then the walkie-talkie woman returned to the Kuleszas’ aisle and displayed the raw tact and diplomacy of Donald Trump.
“Sir, you need to get off the plane,” she announced.
“What?” a stunned Mr. Kulesza asked. “Are you serious?”
“Sir, you need to get off the plane now.”
They got off the plane, while their luggage and car seat flew on to Boston. In the terminal they were directed to an AirTran supervisor, who told the couple that the stewardess was uncomfortable “because you have an unruly child who struck a woman on board.”
Mr. Kulesza was incredulous. “That was her mother,” he explained. “She hit her on the arm. Lady, this is a 3-year-old child we’re talking about.”
“Sir, we don’t differentiate between 3 and 33,” the AirTran supervisor replied. Mr. Kulesza said the woman proceeded to lecture him about child discipline, and how she would never tolerate her children behaving in such a manner, at which point Mr. Kulesza said, “You really need to stop talking now.”
The couple were also told that, since they had been ejected from the plane, they were banned from flying with AirTran for 24 hours. So they were forced to return to Bonita Springs for the night, and Mr. Kulesza missed a 16-hour work shift, and the next day they returned to the airport and can surely be forgiven if they fed their daughter enough Children’s Benadryl to fell a stallion. I exaggerate, perhaps, but it’s certainly what I would have done. In any case, Elly slept through the return flight home.
The incident has sparked varied responses from those who heard the story. While many people — mostly parents — sympathize with the Kuleszas, others are less inclined. For example, when I related the tale to an unnamed colleague and asked if he had ever heard of an airline bouncing a child from a flight he said, “No, but I’m all for it. Couldn’t they have checked her with the baggage?”
This colleague, as it happens, has no kids.
AirTran, meanwhile, has apparently had a change of heart. After the airline received a phone call Thursday from yours truly, an AirTran customer service rep called the Kuleszas, apologized profusely for the incident and refunded them the $595 cost of their tickets.
“We do believe the situation could have been handled differently,” said AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver. “We will use this case as a means to train our agents on dealing with this type of situation on our flights … While there are FAA regulations that mandate all passengers have to be securely fastened in their seat belts before a plane can depart, we need to work with our customers in situations like this to help them — and that is what we will focus on.”
Ms. Kulesza is appreciative of the response, but believes she could have calmed her daughter down, if given the chance.
“It wasn’t like she had a bomb strapped to her waist,” she noted.
AirTran also extended another offer to the Kuleszas — free airline tickets to the destination of their choosing. The offer has been declined.
“I said I appreciated it, but I told them not to bother,” Ms. Kulesza said. “We won’t ever be flying with that airline again.”
The parents and little girl were on GMA this morning, bletching about Air Tran - who actually rewarded them for the bad behavior, no less. Flew them home 24 hours later AND offered 3 more RT tickets in the future.
I had been sitting there thinking "ears - bet she has tubes in her ears or an earache." They said she acted perfectly normal on the flight down there.
Anyway, the mom *claimed* they had given her Benadryl. That normally knocks a little kid out.
Eventually, the mom also said the child had had an ear infection (must have been while they were at their destination, if she was fine on the flight down there) and had "felt some discomfort" on the earlier plane ride.
Well, she either had ear problems or didn't have ear problems, but how in the world did a little kid know in advance that it was going to hurt her ears on take-off?
That's what the mom was insisting in the interview (sounded like a made-up excuse to me).
I do think it maybe ought to be a guideline with the airlines to ask about a small child who is traveling whether or not they have or have had ear problems. That causes some of the screaming - especially little ones with tubes or whatever they use in the operations nowadays.
2 things they said they had one and you get use one on the ground before take off
You forgot to mention AirTran also refunded the cost of the sad sack parents original tickets.
The flight was delayed 15 minutes because of the parent's inability to pick up their child and put her in a seat. Ms. Kulesza was given the chance and she refused to do what was required.
She couldn't be calmed down by either parent, crawling all over them and the couch and yelling, and was finally no where to be seen for the remainder of the interview.
Apparently, Mom wasn't able to "just hold her" to calm her down.
Congrats to AirTran and best wishes in their impending lawsuit from these twits.
I side with the flight crew 100%. But you know what ticks me off? The adults who act like every kid on a flight is a nuisance. I took my kids to see their grandparents, and flying back my eight year old was in the window seat, I was in the center and some middle aged dude was on the aisle. Well, I'm pointing out stuff out the window to my son and answering his questions, and we weren't being loud. The boy stayed in his seat the whole flight and was very polite to the flight attendants. But Mr. Aisle Seat keeps sighing with exasperation about every 30 seconds and shooting us the occasional look. He wasn't trying to sleep or work or anything, just sitting there, reading the airline mag, acting like my son asking me if a certian object below is a nuclear plant is somehow the most irritating thing that ever happened on Planet Earth.
That's a sour stewardess. That was a funny line.
I've never seen or heard of a family being booted off a flight because of a crying child. I suspect this was a doozy.
Is your dad still with us? If so, how's he feel about the Colts getting into the Super Bowl?
Yes, but that's Ms. Kulesza telling us they had no chance. I suspect her account is self-serving.
I thought so too. I married him for his great sense of humor. It couldn't have been for his money; I would have found that by now.
Rimshot!
From these news accounts that I have read of this incident it appears to have been quite the scene. One account I read indicated that the pilot had already held the flight 15 minutes because of this child. And as someone pointed out on this thread delays of 15 minutes or (more in this case), can cause people to miss flight connections, etc.
MY dad was killed in 92. He was mad at the way the Colts left Baltimore in the middle of the night and I suspect he wouldn't care about this one way or the other.
BTW His 48 and 49 Contract with Baltimore was one legal page, front and back. It had a place to fill in the date, his name and his ($7,000) salary. Y. A. Tittle told me his was for a couple of thousand more in 48 when they were both rookies.
Sorry for your loss. I think the Colts slinking out of twon sucks too, and I wasn't even a fan. I have to cheer for them in the Super Bowl, however, because I'm a Packer fan and the Bears fans will be insufferable for at least the next five years if they win. :-)
Wow. Sorry I'm late to post, but I just have to.
I'm really starting to like airlines (maybe still hate airports the way we're all treated like criminals).
They're tossing off Moslems and even little brats. What common sense. What guts!
Glad someone's getting guts - and un-PC!
“She has her moments like all 3-year-olds"
There it goes. The rationalizing. That "everybody does it" syndrome. BS. I never threw a fit as a child. Wasn't tolerated.
“…proceeded to throw a temper tantrum.
“I was trying to console her…”
There’s a problem right there. PRAISING the bad behavior.
“This colleague, as it happens, has no kids.”
Oh of course. The old snotty “you have no experience, so you don’t know” condescending BS. Lots of PARENTS don’t know squat about parenting, and that’s clear. See my tagline.
“Ms. Kulesza is appreciative of the response, but believes she could have calmed her daughter down, if given the chance.”
You had 15 min. You were coddling the kid. A good smack on the bod and a menacing growl would stop it within 1 min.
My parents were die-hard REAL Colts fans. ;-)
However, my dad (the Mainiac foreigner) apparently caved after Sunday and will root for the Colts.
My mom (giggly when meeting Johnny U a few years ago), though, never forgives, and is rooting for the Bears. This from a woman who HATED the Bears and Halas in the '50s/'60s for being just plain dirty rotten team. The Colts thing must draw more ire from her than the Bears thing....
Yuck.
I HATE vomiting. It's a phobia with me.
There is NOTHING I would hate more than what your husband went through! (Oops, except actually getting vomited ON, which happened to my husband as a child.)
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