Off The Cuff

Autistic Kid And Mom Ejected From Plane

Posted by: From Arkansas in Are You Kidding Me?, Travel on Jun 25 2008

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American Airlines decided that the two people were not going to be allowed to continue their flight. The boy was becoming difficult to handle, true, but there were ways to calm him down since the day before, a flight attendant was able to do just that with pictures and keeping him occupied. No, I do not believe that this is what the flight attendant is there for specifically. However, with a precedent being set like that, eventually they will find reasons for any handicapped individual to be a risk on a flight.

But lets just focus on this particular situation. A two year old autistic boy and his Mother boarded a flight and sat down. The Mother put her carry-on bag in front of her on the floor. The airline now states that she violated FAA regulations by doing this and was kicked off the flight. Uh huh. The reality is that the young boy was very vocal and was disturbing others. With no attempt whatsoever to help the Mother quiet the boy, they chose to eject them instead.

Now, of course, they claim that the boy was at risk from the Mother as well. The Mother stated that there was no cause for alarm, just an unruly boy who would have calmed down soon but was unhappy with the traveling. However, the airline disagrees with her. This is what they had to say about it:

“The child had been crying and screaming uncontrollably, to the point where the child’s well being was in question. Though, ultimately, the parent’s violation of FAA regulations was the cause for removal, both situations contributed to an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe atmosphere for our passengers and crew.”

So, in effect what they are saying is that a child of two is going to cause an unsafe environment for the whole plane and it’s crew. ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? I get it that the kid was an annoyance. Got that. I wouldn’t be happy either but…….because the Mother couldn’t get him to calm down right away and because she left her bag in front of her on the floor, they dumped her off the flight?????? HELLO!!!! Does no one see a problem here? How outrageous can an airline get before someone steps in here?

Want the rest of the story? Okay, the Mother allowed a flight attendant to place her bag in an overhead compartment thus taking that part of the charges against her away from the situation. The other thing? The autistic boy who could not be controlled? Hey, would you like it if the airline personnel were screaming at you? Well, they were doing that to the boy. OF COURSE he would react that way. ANY kid would do that.

The flight attendant kept going to the boy, tugging on his seatbelt to get it tighter and yelling at him when he reacted. The boy got out of the seat. A pilot came in, told the kid to get in his seat. He started to roll around when his Mother started crying. The boy then had a meltdown. At that point, the pilot went back and turned the plane around. They were then ejected from the plane.

Weird part is that the day before, they were on a flight to New Jersey to visit family. The plane turned around when the flight was canceled. Mom and son were perfectly fine that day. It could have been that way again but for the impatience and lack of compassion by the flight crew of that particular plane. American Airlines surely does not want to leave this as it is since they were clearly in the wrong. I think that at the very least, all planes should have a small area for those children who are not going to calm down right away. Then, when they are fine be led back to their seats. Surely there have been other children who did not co-operate. In fact, I seem to recall that on one flight I took some years ago, there was a kid who would not shut up. They didn’t turn the plane around for him. In fact, we all got to endure him. No flight attendant was there to do anything, good or bad, about that situation.

Folks, I realize that with today’s paranoia of safety, there are times when there should be action against people who seem to be a risk on a plane but a TWO YEAR OLD KID???? COME ON! This is obviously a Shame of America Award for the crew and the execs of American Airlines. What jerks.

Frankly, I believe that the crew of that flight behaved badly. As the Mother states, all flight crews should be trained to deal with special needs children since they, too, fly around the world in planes.

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