Posted on 07/12/2007 9:10:39 AM PDT by Abathar
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- A Georgia mother said she wants answers and action after she and her baby were kicked off a plane.
Kate Penland said she was glad to board the plane in Houston to visit her father in Oklahoma after an 11-hour delay. But she said a rude and aggressive flight attendant caused her to get to Oklahoma a day late.
Penland thinks her 19-month-old son, Garren, has a bubbly personality. But Penland said when they were aboard a Continental Express plane, a flight attendant became annoyed by Garren's personality when he kept saying three words.
"As we started taxiing, he started saying, 'Bye, bye plane,'" said Penland. "At the end of her speech, she leaned over the gentleman beside me and said, 'It's not funny anymore. You need to shut your baby up.'"
In disbelief, Penland asked the woman if she was kidding. It was then, Penland said, the flight attendant went too far.
"She then said, 'You know, it's called baby Benadryl.' And I said, 'Well, I'm not going to drug my child so you have a pleasant flight,'" Penland said.
Penland said when the other passengers began speaking up on her behalf, the flight attendant got angrier and soon announced they were turning around and that Penland and Garren were going to be taken off the plane.
"I was crying, I was upset and I was thinking, 'What am I going to do? I don't have anything with me. I don't have any more diapers for the baby, no juice, no milk," said Penland.
The mother said she later learned the flight attendant told the pilot that she had threatened her. Penland said that never happened.
Express Jet Airlines released a statement that said, "We received Ms. Penland's letter expressing her concerns and intend to investigate its contents."
A fellow passenger told Atlanta TV station WSB that none of the other passengers had problems with Garren and that Penland never threatened the flight attendant. Penland said she is considering legal action.
>>Nope - but plan on it soon.<<
You’ll change your mind once you have one.
At one time, I was the one advocating “Child-Free” everything.
Now I encourage the parents who put in an effort and slam those who don’t.
“Bye-bye plane” is not screaming, hitting or kicking.
You can go post by post on this thread and see who does/does not have children.
A 19 month old saying “bye bye plane” over and over is SOP for that age. In fact if he was screaming/kicking/crying, not a whole lot that can be done.
The benadryl would take time to work anyway, it wouldn’t instantaneoulsy make him shut up.
the self-centeredness is society-wide, and not restricted to people with kids. i have been annoyed far more often, by adults who thoughtlessly fully recline their seat into my lap. Given the close quarters on most planes, it is just downright selfish and considered only with their own comfort.
Benedryl does not always lull a child to sleep. It can have the opposite effect in some kids: making them hyper and even not allowing them to achieve their normal nap they would have taken on the plane. It had that effect on one of mine.
And children are not dogs. It's too risky to drug children far from medical help simply for the comfort of strangers. It is legal for children to fly on airplanes. It's a risk of all passengers, that children might be on their flight. Less of a chance in first class, so some may wish to pay more to avoid the chances.
I have three kids. My kids don’t do repetative things like that, because we have never allowed it. That might be SOP for your children, but only because you allow it.
You might want to do a little research before you have that kid and dope it with Benadryl.
Many kids experience a completely opposite affect with Benadryl (because of the antihistamines) - so you may end up with one very irritable, hyperactive baby on your hands. And just because it makes the baby sleepy one time, doesn’t mean it will the next.
Do you really want to be stuck on a plane when your child has an adverse reaction?
Wahhhh wahhhh you cry more then most children. Maybe we should take up a collection to supply you with Benedryl when you fly.
I agree - full recliners are annoying as well. I don’t need your head in my lap.
Ahem. They boarded the plane 11 hours late to begin with. The child wasn't screaming, but apparently talking in a manner that fellow passengers didn't seem to mind.
So this means the baby should be sedated why?
believe me, i feel like kicking the seat myself!
Oh, please!
Giving a kid six benedryls (estimating 3 round trips) a year is hardly "doping." I'm not suggesting that this kid needed the stuff. It's kind of hard to tell from the story. But being young does not give one the right to disturb other passengers. Parents who don't want to be responsible for the behavior of their children on an airplane shouldn't fly with them.
ML/NJ
My 8 year old daughter was kicking a seat in front of her on the last plane flight we took. It was totally unconscience and quiet because of tennis shoes. I never noticed or I would have told her to stop. The gentleman in front of her asked her very nicely to please stop kicking. She turned red, apologized and tears welled in her eyes. I told her that she has nothing to be upset about because she did the right thing by apologizing and then I apologized too. The man smiled back at her and said, “That’s right!”
When we stood to depart, this kind man smiled sweetly at her, bowed and waved us on. That is class.
God love him!
I may. However, I will say that too many parents treat their kids like little adults. They’re kids - treat them as such. I’ve seen kids in restaurants at 10 at night. I’ve seen toddlers and infants dragged into R rated movies so they can play or sleep while mom and dad save a few buck on a sitter. There are places children shouldn’t be.
I see many more parents that put in no effort whatsoever than those that do. I’m hoping that seeing the overall lack of parenting that exists nowadays and learning for the non-example will make me a better parent.
ML/NJ
I had 3 children too. Very well behaved children when they were young, took the oldest on a plane at 13 months, not a peep out of him. But there was always that possibility. Had he repeated bye, bye plane I’m sure I would have been shushing him but didn’t happen so wasn’t an issue.
However, I’m sure your children were perfect and never did anything that other toddlers do. How perfect for such a perfect parent to have such perfect children! An example for all of us to follow.
Ah - maturity shining through.
I’m thinking you should recognize that you’re the ADULT.
That's a good idea. But, I guess they like to fit as many people on board as possible. Like sardines in a can. That's why I won't fly anymore. First class is nice, but coach class is like public transportation in the sky. I guess that's why the flight attendants lose their cool sometimes, too. Crying or babbling babies don't bother me at all, though, except when they're my own. :-)
In the cause of being fair to the flight attendant -
I was on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam (Holland) with TWO screaming babies within 10 feet from where I sat.
That’s nine hours. I often wonder why the airlines do not seat all parents with young children/babies in the same row in the rear of the cabin.
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