AirTran Airways Tosses Toddler
Airline Forces Parents and Toddler to Leave Plane After Toddler Throws Tantrum
Gerry Kulesza, Elly's father and an EMT, said a flight attendant first asked if they had purchased a seat for their daughter, to which they said yes. Moments later, Gerry said he was approached again and told, "You need to get her in control and in her seat."
The Kulesza family asked if they could hold their daughter instead of putting her in her seat, but were told no. Shortly afterwards, the family was approached by an AirTran Airways flight attendant and asked to leave the plane.
Elly's mother, Julie Kulesza, was shocked when the flight attendant told her husband that they had to leave the plane. "They were talking to my husband. They said, 'So, you need to get off the plane now.' I looked up and I went, 'Are you serious?'"
The family of three was not allowed to board another flight for twenty-four hours, per AirTran Airways safety rules, and was stranded in Florida without their luggage or diapers.
Gerry Kulesza, embarrassed and forced to miss a day of work, said, "I was outraged and embarrassed. I'm a full time EMT in Boston and if I treated anybody the way they treated me, I would be out of a job."
Julie Kulesza, explaining why she wanted her story told, said, "I just wanted to make the public aware of what happened and this too can happen to them if their child is crying too much."
AirTran Airways offered the Kulesza family a full refund of their tickets after the family arrived at home. The Kulesza's turned down AirTran Airways offer of three round-trip tickets to anywhere the airline flies saying they would never fly AirTran Airways again.
Judy Graham-Weaver, AirTran Airways spokesperson, said the flight was already 15 minutes late and that the toddler was removed because, "she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat".
AirTran Officials say they were following Federal Aviation Administration rules that state that children age two and above must have their own seat and must be wearing a seat belt before the plane can take off. Federal Aviation Administration rules say "Except as provided in this paragraph, each person on board a U.S.-registered civil aircraft must occupy an approved seat or berth with a safety belt and, if installed, shoulder harness, properly secured about him or her during movement on the surface, takeoff, and landing. Notwithstanding the preceding requirements of this paragraph, a person may be held by an adult who is occupying an approved seat or berth, provided that the person being held has not reached his or her second birthday and does not occupy or use any restraining device."
This case has caused quite a bit of controversy and there are people on both sides of the issue. What is your opinion?
Published by Alisha Jett Christian
Disabled veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Mother of four children and happily married to my best friend. Born and raised in the South, but now living in Michigan. My life has been one big roller co... View profile
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45 Comments
Post a CommentALL i have to say is w...t...f..., the airline cant event put some members of a family next to each other-Parent /child, or parent/children- I wouldnt fly that airline and I 'd tell them to eat crap !
I flew Frontier a couple of months by myself with my 15 month old and it was a nightmare! My daughter did not cry, she was so good. My husband and I were moving across the country. He drove the uhaul with our 2 dogs and I flew with our baby. But I had a stroller, a car seat. 3 flight attendants stood and watched while I struggled to carry her and the car seat. Not one of the flight attendants were doing anything and refused to offer any help and I was told that i would need to fold up my stroller before getting on the plane! Thank God for a kind gentleman who was on my flight and he helped me by putting her car seat in place, helped me fold her stroller up and helped me to my seat. I was so stressed out and upset by the time I sat down! The same gentleman helped me and my daughter off the plane. If he wouldn't have stepped in and helped me, I don't know what I would have done. And I wasn't worried to be flying by myself with my daughter, i just really thought for sure that
Anyone who can't relate obviously has never had a kid. If holding the kid is the kid's comfort button & you're not allowed to hold them, you & everyone around you is screwed. You can't negotiate with a 3 year old. You can't even discipline kids nowadays or you get in trouble for that. I had the same problem with an old pomeranian who I paid luggage fees to keep under my seat versus in the cargo hold. He whined & howled for the 2 hour flight (despite giving him sleeping meds from the vet..Yes, I was prepared) & they wouldn't let me console him.
airlines are stupid
Wow,that's ridiculous! I mean,the parents should of strapped the girl in the seat but really......the girl was three. You can't really stop a tantrum.You just let the kid start calming down and then they will usually stop crying after a while.But really.......as i said,the parents should have strapped her in.That's discipline and to be a good parent you have to have some rules and discipline.I'm not saying go crazy with it but..............................
I get being removed for not being in her seat... but not for crying. As the Mom of a three year old, I know that sometimes you cannot control a melt-down... but you can certainly control whether or not your kid is buckled into a seat. Let her cry, but buckle her in. They can't kick her off for crying.. And as with all Toddler stuff.. the melt-down would have been over in minutes.
Totally shocking! These Air Travel people are all out of control. That's a disgusting way for anyone to talk to other people.
Look, the kid was 3 years old. Sometimes 3 year-olds have tantrums. It's hard to know whether or not it was the right call by the airline without seeing it first had. Yes it's true that some kids are out of control because their parents lack discipline. BUT, YOU DON"T KNOW WHAT THE SITUATION WAS! Quit being judgmental pricks.
As a 20 year flight attendant, I can say that Airtran
was NOT out-of-line in asking the family to deplane.
A 3-year-old child must be fastened into a seat before the plane will be allowed to depart the gate (FAA reg).
This family was causing delay to an entire planeload of passengers and then getting angry at the airline for not indulging them and their unruly child. Seems the public rarely hears the airline's side of the story. Just the rude (and usually wrong) passenger.
wait a minute - I just read on old posting on the 3 year old being removed from the plane - and I just read on another new press - the 3 year old was in a row in front of the mother - AIRTRAN - AIRSCAM - I think we are all missing a point here...... did airtran try to make them all fly in separate seats... here is why I ask...
I just flew with airtran last week - with my wife and 3 kids - 7,4 & 2 - Airtran had us all in separate rows. I dont know how you all feel about that - but I thought is sucked. To make it even better - after we boarded the plane I asked the steward if he could help. He called the agent to help - she came on board, locked at me and said - "you either take your seats or we will remove you from the plane". The steward was so disturbed by her actions he asked for my tickets - so he could have her written up. I think there is more to the story on the 3 year old and her family than we are being told....