Posted on 01/23/2007 7:35:25 PM PST by don'tspeak4me
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Flight attendants often deal with obnoxious passengers who won't listen to instructions by kicking them off the plane. But a Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways went overboard by treating their crying 3-year-old daughter in much the same way.
Julie and Gerry Kulesza and daughter Elly were removed from the flight when the girl refused to take her seat before takeoff, airline officials said Tuesday. But her parents said they just needed a little more time to calm her down.
The Kuleszas planned to fly home to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers after a four-day visit with the girl's paternal grandparents. She was removed because "she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat" during boarding, AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.
AirTran officials say they were only following Federal Aviation Administration rules that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seatbelt upon takeoff.
"The flight was already delayed 15 minutes and in fairness to the other 112 passengers on the plane, the crew made an operational decision to remove the family," Graham-Weaver said.
But Julie Kulesza said: "We weren't giving an opportunity to hold her, console her or anything."
"Elly was sitting in front of our seat crying," she said in a phone interview. "The attendant motioned to a seat and asked if we purchased it for her."
They had paid for the seat. Gerry Kulesza said another attendant then approached the family and told him: "You need to get her in control and in her seat."
The couple told the attendants they were trying. Julie Kulesza said she asked the attendants if Elly could sit on her lap, but they said no.
The family flew home the next day.
The Orlando-based carrier reimbursed the family $595.80, the cost of the three tickets, and offered them three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies, Graham-Weaver said.
But that's too little, too late for the Kuleszas. The father said they would never fly AirTran again.
I am basing my view on flying that airline. I have little confidnce in them.
At the end of Monday's episode of 24, Jack Bauer showed a nice technique that he was using to get his brother to cooperate. I'm sure that something similar could have been used here.
"I miss him every stinking day."
Roger that.
The airline did the right thing.
Thank you for the links.
"Duct tape works wonders. (Never had to use any on my kids but mine were raised proper.)
I've always been of the opinion that all you need to properly care for small children are bubble wrap, velcro, and duct tape. For some reason I've never been asked to babysit by any of my friends.
Mark"
Forget that stuff, Tritronics is the answer to every childhood behavioral problem.
One thing I did with my son that worked really well was when he was having a bad day and being cantankerous, irritable, and picking on his sisters, I would make sure they were fed and pottied and had something to do. Then I would tell him that I could tell he was having a bad day and that I thought he needed a hug. So I'd sit on the floor and pull him into my lap and tell him I was going to hug him until he settled down. It took about an hour. First he fought, then he negotiated, then he begged, then finally, he'd break down and have a good cry.
We had to do that several times over the years but it always made a big difference. The funny thing was, all I would have to do after that was tell him I though he needed a hug and he'd straighten up pretty quick. Or he'd yell NO and run.
Sometimes spanking just isn't the right thing to do when they're not being outright defiant.
That made me laugh. My Dad would "thump" us with unerring accuracy while driving. It was kind of like a chameleon's tongue. His arm grew about 12-14 inches when he did it.
So the airline's management doesn't have the balls to stand behind their own policies? Big surprise, there. I'll bet the 24 hour flight ban is a standard rule for anyone removed from a plane.
I love this from the second article you linked:
"Focus on Your Child
When in public, every parent's mantra should be this: "I don't know any of these people, and I'm never going to see them again." Just focus on your child, not on the other people around you who are giving you dirty looks. Your goal is to be your child's advocate, to be there for your child."
Good advice there, for the terminally selfish. Yeah, as long as your little darling is happy, who care how many people you annoy. Respecting other people, even strangers, used to be part of a common idea called "politeness", or "civility".
Where did you hear that they banned them for 24 hours?
When we were in Florida, the news reports say that THEY chose not to fly home that day because they wanted NON-STOP flights.
You'd probably win the bet. Could the kid have been shipped as freight on the way down?
They were offered another flight but wouldn't take it because it wasn't non-stop.
They are lairs.
ACK!!!
ROTFLOL!!!!
Sounds just like us but we survived it. Hang in there, it pays. He is 16, almost 17, now and such a pleasure.
The hugging thing only works as long as their small enough to hang onto. The last time I needed to do it I almost couldn't. He's a big, strong kid and I got quite a workout.
I have to agree diamond... I have 3 kids (all boys) I would get off the plane leave them in the airport and get back on the plane and leave them (just jokes). But honestly, my mom used to say to me, before even entering a place, "you embarrass me, I WILL embarrass you." In other words, act up and I will beat your behind in front of everyone. I used it with my boys as early as two years old, and not only have I NEVER dealt with temper tantrums in public, but never had one at home.
Nothing pisses me off more than some punk parents giving their children the power to behave in such a way.
"The father said they would never fly AirTran again."
One can only hope that the 'lil animal, and her keepers, will also refuse to fly on all other carriers. Passengers everywhere will be able to relax.
"Maybe our nanny government would be better served by allowing STRANGERS to spank the little brats when their idiot parents get so "confused" that they can't discipline their own spawn."
How about:
Maybe our nanny government would be better served by requiring STRANGERS to spank the PARENTS of the little brats when their idiot parents get so "confused" that they can't discipline their own spawn.
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