[HairOfTheDog]

It's impossible to know when a 3-year-old is going to go off. It happens. Maybe they could have picked the kid up & walked around to calm them, but it sounds like the stewardess wanted that kid strapped in its seat. Which probably would not have helped calm the kid at all.

I understand that kids can be hard to predict and harder to control, but if he can't get in and be strapped in his seat, he can't fly, (the pilot can't even legally take off) and that is not the fault of the airline. Beyond that, they also have a duty to the rest of the passengers to not allow one to annoy everyone else. If the kid's not going to settle down, better to find that out while the plane is still on the ground than when it's at 30,000 feet.

[gubamyster]

According to the article, they didn't give them a chance to settle down the child:

Ms. Kulesza is appreciative of the response, but believes she could have calmed her daughter down, if given the chance.