Woman and children booted off Southwest Flight

[a la izquierda]

This video is ridiculous.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/07/dnt.family.off.plane.kiro

[kay1864]

1. News article for those who are video-averse...

http://www.kirotv.com/news/16803334/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

[a la izquierda]

2. Ah, thanks...n/t

[China_cat]

4. Thank you

not video averse but most videos aren't close-captioned and since I can't hear them, there's no sense bothering to click on them.

[Zavulon]

88. You are a credit to the human race, and I thank you.

I am as video-averse as one can get. For today anyway, you're my favorite person.

[tigereye]

3. you'd think there would be some understanding of folks with kids with

special needs...


they could have at least given them a travel voucher for another airline and hotel tix... :(

[a la izquierda]

5. special needs or not...

the mother herself admits the kids were disruptive. have you ever flown with maniac children? it's dangerous, and if you don't like flying (which i don't), extremely unsettling and unnerving.

the woman is threatening to sue now because she couldn't control her kids? BS.

[Midlodemocrat]

8. And we're off.

:popcorn:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

17. Move over.

This should be good. :popcorn:

Hey, Midlo, pass the taser. :rofl:

[Midlodemocrat]

19. Would you like something to drink?

:beer:


:rofl:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

21. I need an

adult libation for this one.

I hope someone was breast feeding on that plane....:rofl:

[tavalon]

110. Sorry, I got it first

[tigereye]

18. yeah I shouldn't have said anything- no one really knows what happened

since I work with a lot of folks with children with special needs, I often tend to see their side...


I hesitated before even posting, since I know what tends to follow...

[Midlodemocrat]

20. .

:thumbsup:

A little compassion goes a long way. It should be pretty obvious to most folks these days when a child is autistic.

[tigereye]

22. likewise, my friend...

:hi:

[truedelphi]

46. Working with special need's children is eye-opening

Changes one's perspective very fast.

My heart goes out to any family who has to travel as a special needs family.

And I don't know what happened, in this case.


But I have had two on flight incidents wherein I couldn't breathe. In the first one, back in 1994 or so, the flight crew understood I couldn't breathe. First Class was almost unoccupied, and they put me up there with the seat tilted and let me know that if I needed to walk around a bit, then I could do that with their help (They knew sometimes that moving helps.)

The second time, in 1998 or so, I was treated like a full fledged terrorist. I was told to get control of myself (They disliked my standing and wheezing.)

I was told to stop my behaviours. People who cannot breathe cannot stop their behaviors!!

I now travel with a certified heavy duty air mask (the plastic kind people wear in fafctories when they spray toxins.) I have a doctor's note. ANd I have the name of a lawyer if I should ever get treated like that again.

[tigereye]

94. I think that the paranoia people have about flying now and fear of anomalies -

seem to translate into what often looks like a lack of compassion. The effects of fear and bureaucracy are unfortunate....

[KitchenWitch]

24. Hey, pass it up here to the nosebleed seats!

:popcorn:

[Midlodemocrat]

40. Here you go.

:popcorn:

*settles in to watch the flamefest*

[LostinVA]

63. When I read this at lunch, I prayed this would be on DU!!!!!!

[Fran Kubelik]

10. maniac children?

:eyes:

[Midlodemocrat]

41. We're fighting them over there so we don't have to fight them here.

:patriot:

[raccoon]

37. HOpe the case gets thrown out. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

39. so we should take your personal neuroses (fear of flying) into account

but not some child's actual problems (cerebral palsy and autism)

:eyes:

[hedgehog]

84. Fear of flying is not an actual problem? Can a thread that's

already in flames have a sub-thread in flames?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

115. fear of flying is a phobia, far easier dealt with than cerebral palsy or autism

kind of like saying my cold should deserve more consideration than your pneumonia.

[tavalon]

111. She has an autistic child

What's your excuse?

[crim son]

6. Threatening behavior?

Was one of the kids packing a water pistol? Apparently the mentally ill, the physically ill, folks with piercings, overtly sexy women and people wearing clothing depicting armed fictional characters are going to have to find another mode of travel.

You've won, Bin Laden! You've won.

[KitchenWitch]

25. you win Today's Best Response!

:yourock:

[crim son]

34. Thank you, thank you (modestly)

I try. :blush:

You rock too!

[datasuspect]

7. this is another instance of petty citizens who have the imprimatur of governmental authority

gained through social fear mongering concerning "terrorists" playing tyrant with the general public.

we have no communities.

people like to assert whatever power they can assert simply because it is available. unruly children pose no threat to airline safety unless they are in the cockpit.

[Fran Kubelik]

9. wow. very well said. nt

[datasuspect]

11. we live in a very mean, punishment-oriented, snitch culture

i think people feel better when they make others suffer.

[Fran Kubelik]

14. some people

[JoDog]

33. The children were not staying in their seats

The mother admits that the children were walking around the aisles and not staying in their seats. What if the plane hit a pocket of turbulance? The plane rocks, a child goes flying and injures itself or someone else. And if the plane did get into trouble and a small child got injured or trampled? That's why flight attendants ask travelers to stay in their seats unless they need to use the washroom.

Frankly, it sounds like the mother and aunt were not making much of an effort to control the children. I understand that kids sometimes go off, but I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to any parent who is at least making an effort to handle the situation. Doesn't sound like that's what happened here.

[Midlodemocrat]

42. This mom has a child with autism and another with cerebral palsy.

I'm cutting her some slack. She could very well be just overwhelmed. And, it wouldn't have killed those flight attendants to show a little more compassion to the kids. Hell's bells,, my husband does it all the frickin' time and our kids are quite a bit older.

[JoDog]

123. We're presuming

that it was the 2 disabled children that were causing the problem. What if it was the other 2 children? The ones who can behave themselves perfectly well but may have chosen not to? Should the bad behavor of the other children be excused because they have disabled siblings?

Also, bear in mind that the family did get another flight to Seattle on Alaska Airlines. This time the flight went without incident. That indicates that whichever of the children caused the problem on the Southwest flight was capable of behaving, but for whatever reason did not or was not asked to by the mother or aunt.

[skooooo]

49. Buckle them in??

Probably they would scream if you did that. I feel sorry for the parents, but I understand the airlines not wanting kids running around. Maybe they could have made an exception this one time.

[MountainLaurel]

62. It's not just not wanting them to run around

But from my understanding of airplane safety, if anyone is out of their seat, the pilot is not allowed to take off. I doubt he/she had any other choice if the mother couldn't get them to remain in their seats and buckled up.

[PeaceNikki]

71. you = wind beneath my wings

:thumbsup:

[tavalon]

113. Exactly!

You win the tolerance award for the day. Thank you as a parent of an autistic child.

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. They act like a fairly dysfunctional and socially inept group of people

undifferentiated and self-focused.

I think Southwest could have handled this differently (and I agree with datasuspect that this could also be an incidence of giving too much power to weak-minded petty people), but I am not willing to put all blame on the airline in this one - I have a feeling that family are a disruptive nuisance wherever they go, and not just because of the legitimate disabilities of the two children. Probably none of those adults should have been parents to begin with.

[Sanity Claws]

15. HOw did you figure that one out?

Do you know them? I didn't see enough in the article or video to make a judgment on that.
It is a pretty harsh judgment.

[Rabrrrrrr]

27. I came to that conclusion through observation from the video.

Certainly, there's a chance that I'm wrong, but in years of dealing with dysfunctional, undifferentiated people, these people are clear and obvious examples.

[Sanity Claws]

28. What on the video led you to that conclusion?

I would appreciate hearing specific items, not things like that's my gut reaction.

[El Fuego]

129. Are you kidding me?

Uh, the mother said "The children were out of control on the flight you know..." This is just a GIVEN that the children were out of control on an airplane, and she doesn't have a clue that this is inappropriate.

She was asked twice to do something about it. Obviously she's socially inept if she has no comprehension about how the behavior of her children is viewed by other people.

[musette_sf]

23. i get the same gut feeling as you do about this group.

it looks like two adults were not enough to manage that crew of kids. if you have two special needs kids, you need an adult per kid, plus there were the other two kids. it also seems that the kids were likely not coached on travel etiquette. kids will be kids, but usually when i fly and see kids on the flight, the parents for the most part appear to have set at least SOME ground rules prior to the flight.

i will say that i hope i never have to fly with this particular bunch. flame away, but there is not enough Xanax to make the flight tolerable.

on edit: ANYONE who is unruly, running around the aircraft, and who will not sit down, is a danger to all onboard. the flight attendants are there to aid passengers in an emergency. if there are passengers about who will not accept and act on orders, either from the flight attendant or from the parental unit, they are a danger in an emergency to all other passengers.

[Auggie]

13. Antihistamines?

Just asking... I mean, if the kids are running around and such.

[skooooo]

51. That's the best solution.

Less stress on everyone if the kids are just snoozing.

[tavalon]

116. We've sedated our kid each time we've gone on a flight since

Southwest threw him off many years ago. He's a much calmer now but we don't dare risk it and besides, he was acting out because he was scared so it makes it easier on him.

[uppityperson]

75. Anti-histamines sometimes hype kids up. Depends on the kid.

Made mine more hyper the couple times I used it. Finally did some research and figured it out. Like elderly, kids sometimes react opposite what med does for most people. Like giving hyper kids speed (ritalin) to settle them down.

Now, spray valium and a taser...

[DS1]

16. Can't we just start gassing the entire passenger compartment

with something to put everyone to sleep for the duration?

only partial :sarcasm:

[SoxFan]

29. Works for me

I was on a flight from Manchester to Detroit last month, and I would have welcomed it. There were two vile little hellions bouncing around the cabin giving the other 47 passengers a splitting headache.

[Gormy Cuss]

32. Here's a better idea...

Personal taser devices controlled by the flight attendants.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3573721&mesg_id=3573721

[begin_within]

138. Yes, with Vikane (sulfuryl fluoride)

[johnnie]

26. Isn't there booze on those flights?

That could have knocked those kids out. Back in my day.....





:P

[KamaAina]

30. A "threatening behavior"?

Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Christi Day told KIRO-7:

"... Typically if it's a threatening behavior, it's not safe to travel 30,000 feet in the air in a contained environment."

They're small children!! How "threatening" could they possibly be?

[KamaAina]

31. Second person with autism to be kicked off a flight in the past couple of weeks

I sincerely hope we haven't become the new terraists...

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=6223045

An American Eagle flight taxiing to a Raleigh-Durham Airport runway was turned around Monday, but not because of a terrorist threat.

The crew was kicking an autistic Cary toddler and his mother off the plane....

His mother says she was doing all she could to calm the autistic boy, but got no sympathy from the flight crew....

"She kept coming over and tugging his seatbelt to make it tighter, 'This has to stay tight'. And then he was wiggling around and trying to get out of his seatbelt. And she kept coming over and reprimanding him and yelling at him," Farrell said.

Yikes! They better not start doing that to adults with autism -- or I'm stranded out here!

[grace0418]

35. I get annoyed by unruly kids as much as the next person but geez, how many of these

stories do we need to hear about Southwest? They decide someone is too fat, not dressed correctly, too unruly, etc. in very arbitrary ways. I really hate that airline.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

43. agreed. clearly these people took another flight, without incident.

[kiva]

53. And if you read more about this

the airline says that the child was out of his seat, rolling around in the aisle, while the plane was on the runway--a violation of FCC regulations and not safe for the child (the mother does not dispute this, only says that it was the flight attendant's fault). There is also a dispute about whether or not the mother refused to place her bag in the overhead compartment (she was in a bulkhead seat, with no underseat storage). In short, mother could not/would not follow rules put in place for the safety of her child, and was put off the plane.

[grace0418]

56. I guess the thing we'll never know for sure (without having been there) is whether or

not the flight attendants told the women what the consequences would be if they did not get their children under control. It definitely sounds like the women were not taking enough responsibility for their kids, and heaven knows grown adults should not have to be threatened with punishment if they don't follow the rules, but I still think Southwest went too far in stranding the group at an airport.

[kiva]

57. Actually, I was responding to a message about a previous situation

involving one mother and child on American Airlines (happened last month, so more info about that incident). I don't know as much about this case, but gotta say that I'm inclined to side with the airlines, since even the mother admits the kids were out of control. I've flown with small children too, and follow the rule that there should be one adult for every toddler or child who needs more that average attention.

[truedelphi]

72. This brings to mind the guy that Amtrak thought was

Drunk - only he wasn't. It was diabetes. They put him off the train in the middle of friggin' nowhere!!

[grace0418]

126. Exactly. You don't strand people. That's just a suck.

Unless what they were doing was truly criminal or you gave them ample warning to stop or face specific consequences, it's just not right in my book. I would say Southwest lost a customer in me, but they already lost me years ago.

[Gormy Cuss]

80. Each time I'm tempted to travel on that airline, another one of these stories appears.

Between the press and the reality show "Airline" I'll travel any other carrier before Southwest.

I'd love to hear observations from other passengers on this flight.

[Phillycat]

36. If the kids were running around, that could definitely be a safety issue.

Southwest knew it was going to get blowback on this one, so I feel certain it was pretty egregious behavior that led to this decision. They wouldn't risk the bad publicity if the case wasn't cut and dried.

[Mad_Dem_X]

38. But to leave the family *stranded*?

With no money or food or place to stay? That is just beyond the pale.

[Auggie]

45. Stranding them definitely went too far. But it is a safety issue with the kids.

A sudden drop in altitude and they could be bounced around pretty severely. There's a reason the airlines would like you to stay in your seat with the seat belt buckled.

[crimsonblue]

44. how are an autistic 10yr old and 7yr old with cerebral palsy dangerous?

I mean, what can children really do?

[exothermic]

48. Emergency exits are designed to be easily opened.

...

[Sanity Claws]

52. Easily? No.

Also, only adults in good physical condition are not supposed to be seated near emergency exits. There is an announcement at the beginning of the flight regarding the emergency exits and how certain persons should not be seated there. Accordingly, the children were not seated near the exits.
Your implication that the children were going to open the emergency doors or thought they could do so is not supported by anything in the article or video.

[exothermic]

59. I simply implied that kids running loose pose a danger.

There are doors on airplanes that are not next to a seat.

[Auggie]

55. Welcome to DU, exothermic

:hi:

[exothermic]

60. Thank you!

:D

[skooooo]

50. They could hurt themselves..

..most likely.

[likesmountains 52]

47. If the mother had just put them on leashes none of this would have happened...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Zuiderelle]

54. Exactly. Multiple leashes like professional dog walkers use.

Silly parents. Just buy some leashes and then turn them into a multi-lead leash with this:




:rofl:

[LostinVA]

67. hehehehehehe

[Elidor]

74. My thoughts exactly

This is a clear case of not enough leashes.

[PeaceNikki]

81. .

[likesmountains 52]

83. love it!

[snooper2]

58. The sister is a meth head...

She should have done a couple extra foil-ies before the flight...

Then she would have had the extra energy to control the kids :rofl:




GOBAMA!

[GCP]

61. Well, I'll be flamed mightily for this

But talk about white trash.
Would anyone seriously want to sit anywhere near this family?

[AngryOldDem]

65. I'm just tired of people ALWAYS having an excuse for bratty kids.

And before anybody flames **me**, my two younger children have special needs (one with a suspected form of autism). But they know what is expected of them and how to behave in public. So, Godless, can you share your asbestos flame suit with me?

In my opinion Southwest should refund the fares of anyone who had to put up with this shit.

[BulletproofLandshark]

66. Not as trashy as making fun of a family w/2 handicapped children.

For shame.

[LostinVA]

69. The poster wasn't mocking handicapped kids

The family was out of control -- as I said up thread, CP isn't an emotional/mental condition.

[LostinVA]

68. No, I agree with you

I thought that as soon as I saw the video. CP is not an emotional/mental condition, but a physical one. A good friend of mine has CP. I agree with Rabrrrr -- these poeple would act like this even if two of the kids weren't special needs.

[distantearlywarning]

70. No flames here.

I kind of have to agree.

[Phillycat]

76. Totally.

Agree.

[Fran Kubelik]

77. I see that the sister looks like she is missing some teeth...

...but the rest...you call them white trash?
Sigh.

Shit like this just makes me really tired and sad.

[Gormy Cuss]

82. I'd flame you if I thought it would matter.

"White trash" --- what do you mean by that? Bad teeth? Obesity? Cheap-looking clothing? Those are all signs of poverty.

[Connonym]

95. I think you've hit the nail on the head here

they looked poor and therefore unworthy of any tolerance. And the mom was fat which certainly means she must be lazy and a terrible mother. (sarcasm in case it needs to be pointed out) Of course the airline wasn't over-reacting based on preconceived notions judging these women by their appearance. (sarcasm again)

I'm so fucking sick of this shit. We all have to figure out a way to live on this planet together. Sometimes that means you put up with an annoying little kid on a plane. Why is your frustration level more valuable than the child's frustration level?

[Gormy Cuss]

102. What gets me are the assessments that it must be the mother's fault, based on a short video.

She's not swearing or yelling or rambling incoherently, so what's left to tip off people? Her appearance and her sister's appearance, that's what. We know THEIR type. Probably too low income to understand the fine art of flying coach and from that follows automatically an assumption of poor parenting skills. Those people shouldn't be allowed to mingle with US. :banghead:

Is she telling the whole story? Who knows, but why assume that the airline was justified without more information since this airline has a history of booting passengers for frivolous reasons.

[hedgehog]

85. Having ill behaved out of control kids is not confined to the

so-called "lower classes". I've seen kids from middle class and wealthy households behave just as badly. I've also been in a situation in which it was the girl who lived in the trailer park who had the best manners while the kids from "well-off" families were running wild!

[RebelOne]

106. Nothing wrong with living in a trailer park.

I live in one and my manners aren't half bad.

[stuntcat]

93. I'd be afraid

they would scare me. Sitting in the metal tube way up in the air and some big loud wild-acting kids won't stop going up and down the aisle? :scared: Planes are for us to sit in peacefully and hope we land safe.

[jobycom]

104. Do you have the same feelings about black trash?

Or do you have other names for people of other colors you don't approve of?

It's funny. When I see a parent struggling with difficult children, I feel sympathy for the parent and the children. I have trouble mustering revulsion. I guess I should work harder on that.

[NJmaverick]

117. No flames here

About time a parent be held accountable and demands of proper behavior be put on them and their children.

[Midlodemocrat]

120. They struck me as not having a ton of cash, but not trashy.

The mom was upset, but she wasn't behaving poorly. :shrug:

[peacefreak]

64. Where's the Baby Benadryl when you need it????

:evilgrin: :crazy: :rofl: :popcorn:

[begin_within]

73. Two words:

Air cargo.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

78. The airlines are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Kick off the disruptive family and they are being mean and unfair and get all kinds of negative publicity. Or let them stay on the airplane and the other passengers are driven crazy and they blame the airline for ruining their flight for not 86-ing those people; worse, some out of control little brat falls down in the aisle or bangs his head into a galley cart and the family sues the airline. They can't win.

[NC_Nurse]

79. Dramamine

Just a suggestion.

[TZ]

86. Is it possible these parents are just jerks?

Just because someone has special needs kids does not automatically make one a saint. It does not make them the devil either, but either way judging their actions based SOLELY on the fact that they have special needs children either for good or bad is not correct.

[Iggo]

118. Is it possible the airline employees are just jerks?

Is it possible?

[Mutley]

87. Wow, I wouldn't have called that threatening behavior.

Annoying, yes. I likely would have wanted to chew my own eyes out if I had been on that plane. But threatening?

And how could they just leave them stranded like that? Surely there was something else they could have done.

[Zavulon]

89. Without being on the flight and not knowing everything that happened,

if pressed to take a side without further information I'll side with the airlines. It amazes me who they DON'T kick off, and none of them want to sued. I've seen airlines tolerate people I would have kicked off myself.

Special needs or not, other people on the plane have rights as well. If these kids are running around, screaming their heads off and can't be controlled, I applaud the airlines for having the courage to boot them. The words "special needs" will, of course, have most people siding with the kids automatically, but that's just not my default setting.

I hope Southwest does NOT give these people a public apology. If you can't control your kids, that does not mean everyone else has to be subjected to their behavior.

[NYC_SKP]

90. Greyhound Lines are made for people like these.

Though they might have been left at the roadside by them, as well.

Some people shouldn't travel. Period. Uncontrolled kids, just like uncontrolled adults, often need to be removed from public places for reasons of safety.

I don't give a fuck if they are disabled, and I don't believe for a minute that they are.

If they are, and the parents don't know what to do with them, then maybe they shouldn't have them or maybe they shouldn't travel.

Or maybe they should take a bus.

[Connonym]

96. elitist much?

what about men who wear too much cologne and talk too loud. Can we have them left on the roadside too because they really annoy the fuck out of me and the smell makes me sick.

[NYC_SKP]

98. I go along with that.

Speaking too loudly is annoying, but probably not a safety issue.

Increasingly, people are speaking up about overuse of artificial fragrances, and on long trips in an enclosed space, I would support enforcement of rules related to those.

And, seriously, people need to make informed choices in how they travel based on what they expect AND with some sense of what other fare paying people expect.

These people don't strike me as frequent flyers.

In their defense, airlines could do a bit more in the way of warning passengers before they book, although this assumes that they're willing and able to read the warnings.

[enlightenment]

105. Actually, Condition of Carriage rules

stipulate that persons with "offensive" odors that are not caused by a documented disability may be removed from the plane. As can persons who are severely disruptive.

So complain next time . . .

Point is, these folks bought the tickets and in doing so, agreed to the Conditions of Carriage. Those conditions are on the back of the ticket and if you get on the plane, you are agreeing to abide by those conditions. Just like any contract - if you sign it, you are agreeing to abide by it.

It's not elitist to expect everyone - rich, poor, or in-between - to abide by another contract that we all live with; the civil contract. This family has elicited sympathy because they claim to have an autistic child and, as far as I can tell from reading some of the posts, that gives them a pass on any and all behaviour exhibited. If it had been the one child, I might be able to dredge up a little sympathy for them, too - but it wasn't. By the mother's own admission, all of the children were out of control. So she has one with a behavioural disorder of some degree (we don't know where the child falls in the spectrum), one with a physical condition that does not have a behavioural component, and two that are, presumably, not suffering from any disorder.

At what point is it reasonable to suggest that the mother and aunt were failing in their roles as caretakers of the children?

[Midlodemocrat]

122. Holy shit. What a horrible thing to say.

[kiva]

91. So, two women with four children go on a connecting flight

with no money? There are many things--weather, one of the kids getting sick, missing a connection--that could have resulted in an unexpected layover, and most of those things wouldn't be financially covered by any airline. A couple of years ago I got stuck in Phoenix because some idiot unplugged one of the security scanners, causing a bottleneck that made me miss a connecting flight and spend the night in the city.

There is absolutely no excuse for taking off with four kids and no emergency cash. And before anyone says that these women were too poor, that's not a reason--either wait to take your vacation until you have some money saved, or grandma could have fronted them some emergency funds (since she could afford to pay $2000 for tickets, she apparently could have done this). Adults who travel without any back up funds are foolish; doing so with children is irresponsible.

[Connonym]

97. Have you ever lived hand to mouth?

How do you know that they weren't given the tickets to fly out to see a dying relative or something? Judge-fucking-mental as hell. Poor people aren't necessarily poor because they're irresponsible. Sometimes life just fucking sucks and gives you a kick in the balls. Doesn't make you a bad person, doesn't make you unworthy, it makes you unlucky. I'd rather be poor than be an asshole.

[kiva]

103. Please read my post.

If the grandmother could afford to spend $2000 for new tickets, she could have sent a couple of hundred dollars to the mom in case of an emergency. When I was 19 a friend and I did a similar stupid, and got caught in the airport with about $5 between us. Luckily we were able to get on another flight fairly soon, but the point is that we were adults and were not responsible for children.

You're right, poor people are not by nature irresponsible or unworthy--and yes, life does suck sometimes. Doesn't mean these women weren't irresponsible, and damn lucky to have someone to fix their problem.

[ThomCat]

108. Not if that $2,000 was put on a credit card.

Just because they can go into debt in an emergency doesn't mean they have money at hand.

[Midlodemocrat]

124. .

:applause:

I cannot believe the comments in this thread.

[Midlodemocrat]

125. Excellent post.

[littlebit]

92. I would have been one of the passengers complaining.

Flying on Southwest is bad enough without a bunch of little hell raisers running around the plane.

[Fleshdancer]

99. Anything that annoys the flight attendants seem to be "threatening behavior" now

If they can't get the customers thrown off the plane or arrested, flight attendants are embarrassing them...like the woman in the skirt who was forced to cover herself with a blanket or the man who was forced to sit in the restroom because the flight attendant wanted his seat.

I'm not going to assume that the kids were perfect angels, but from the articles I've read and the shit I've personally witnessed while flying lately, I refuse to believe it was bad enough to kick them off the flight.

[Connonym]

100. it's an abuse of power

and petty people with shitty jobs are going to take out their frustrations where they can. The power needs to be checked plain and simple.

More importantly we all need to stop being such gigantic paranoid babies. Life has risks and if you can't accept some of them then you should probably lock yourself up in your house and never leave because airline "safety" precautions don't substantially alter your risk in flying. All the do is make you feel better because you think "they're" doing something to make you safe. BUT YOU'RE NOT. Because taking off your shoes and kicking little kids off a plane (or putting them on a no-fly list) does nothing. Smoke and fucking mirrors. Enough already. I'm ashamed of how 9/11 turned us into a bunch of crybaby (pardon the expression) pussies. How about having some damned spine?

I say this as a totally neurotic anxious person who has had several bouts of agoraphobia. If you can't take the heat of the world then lock yourself away or get some fucking mental health treatment and learn to get through the fear.

[krabigirl]

101. Ugh...soon they'll just use that taser bracelet that someone posted about earlier.

Scary shit.

[NJmaverick]

107. I applaud the airline for making a parent actually control their children

too often business indulge the bad parents with their out of control children, to the detriment of everyone else. It's about time a business said enough is enough. I watched the video and heard the woman whine about wanting money and all. There was a time (like when I was growing up) when parents would actually have been embarrassed and apologetic for having their out of control children create the disturbance.

BRAVO! Good for Southwest!

:applause:

There was a time you when bad parents wouldn't have the nerve to utter crap like this:

<<“The children were out of control on the flight you know, they were restless, excited and worked up and they are kids,” said Slaughter.

The family said flight attendants asked them to quiet the children twice, but they didn’t expect to be booted off the flight

“I am furious about it. I can’t believe they could do something like that and then leave us completely stranded with no money no way to get anywhere,” Slaughter said.>>

There was a time when the parents, embarrassed at the situation their children had caused, would have voluntarily gotten off the plane.

[Name removed]

109. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

121. do you have aspergers? how about cerebral palsy?

:eyes:

[NJmaverick]

130. I find it sad that there is so much ignorance about these diseases

the ASSumption that it makes kids uncontrollable animals is sad as it is comical.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

131. actually i am very well educated on these condition and how they are affected

under stress.

[NJmaverick]

134. If the kid was "stressed" by flying, why subject them to that?

Beyond that, they hardly exhibited "under stress" behavior, more like under disciplined behavior.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

135. because sometime people need to visit other people. i have never in my

life seen kids so awful that they cannot be on a flight.

i have seen a bunch of judgmental freaks who have no sympathy and very little intellectual capacity though.

[NJmaverick]

136. What I have seen is a bunch of excuse makers, that get on their

false high horses and let their ego's get the better of them. In the end it comes down to common curtesy. That woman is allowed to raise her kids as she sees fit. However if they way she raises them, makes them unable to behave while flying, she is free to drive. She owes it to the other passengers not to make their flight a living hell, because she couldn't be bothered disciplining her kids. It all comes down to choices and taking responsibility for those choices. Shame some people think so much of themselves, that they need to boost their weak arguement with bullshit like "judgmental freaks" and "little intellectual capacity". If people like that were as smart, as they thought they were, they would win their battles in the debate and not have to go for points with the school yard name calling.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

137. a flight is going with unruly kids will be living hell?

god, how childish.

[NJmaverick]

139. maybe if you worked on your intellect more and your ego less

you could come up with a comment that doesn't sound like it was written by a 9 year old.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

140. ...

:rofl:

really? thats the best you could do?

:rofl:

[NJmaverick]

141. yawn

[La Lioness Priyanka]

142. if you are so bored, why do you keep responding? i keep writing

because this is really funny...

[alphafemale]

112. They could have taken up a collection from the fed-up passengers to cover the cost...

Of landing at the nearest airport, and getting that brood a hotel, a van, a chartered private airline.

Whatever it would of taken.

Bad behavior can have consequences.

No excuses.

Helen Keller could have been an absolute beast all her life.

But somebody cared enough to give her some discipline.

And she was able to give the world gifts.

It is the cruelest thing in the world to excuse piss poor behavior because you pity someone.

You aren't doing them any damn favors.

[dembotoz]

114. what ever happened to no child left behind??????

I have a friend with an adult autistic daughter.
She and her daughter are treated like shit on a regular basis.

guess children are only speacial before they are born.

[bbernardini]

119. They're getting a refund:

http://consumerist.com/tag/southwest/?i=5022900&t=southwest-will-give-refund-to-the-family-that-was-too-unruly-to-fly

[Gormy Cuss]

132. link to original report @ KPHO

http://www.kpho.com/news/16813576/detail.html

PHOENIX -- A family booted off a Southwest Airlines flight in Phoenix because the children were being too disruptive will get a refund.

Airline officials contacted the family Monday and told them the carrier would refund the entire cost of their six one-way tickets from Detroit to Seattle via Phoenix, said Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Christi Day.

(snip)

Slaughter said this was the first flight for her children and admits the kids were loud and kept getting up and walking around the plane.

"The children were a little bit out of control on the flight. They were restless and excited and worked up, and they're kids."

I wonder why they had only purchased one way tickets. Perhaps they were relocating to Seattle.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

127. I heard somewhere - possible CNN - an interview with a passenger

on that flight who said that it was absolutely horrible and above and beyond what you expect when children are flying on the same plane. Let's face it; some parents are awful at parenting, regardless of whether the children have psychological/emotional/physical problems. Just the other day, I was having lunch and right behind me were a couple and two elementary school aged kids who were running up and down, being extremely loud and rude. The parents just sat there, never bothering to reprimand their children. At one point, my boyfriend got up and went to their booth and these people told him to mind his own business. He got really irritated and said, "well, when your brats are ruining dinner for everyone else and making it dangerous for the waitstaff to go through, then it is my business!" The other patrons applauded, as did a few of the wait staff.

[El Fuego]

128. They didn't even TRY to control the kids after being asked twice.

Because they probably never do. The mother isn't used to there being actual consequences for letting her brood run wild.

I salute the airline!

[Midlodemocrat]

133. How about this?

That mother is obviously not that well off. She has two children with disabilities. Could it be that she is completely overwhelmed and exhausted? Could it be that perhaps someone might have resolved this by taking pity on her and entertaining the children?

My husband flies every week. He is also a heart patient. I cannot tell you the number of times he has moved his seat to help a struggling mom, or carried a car seat or a stroller or a diaper bag.

A little compassion goes a long way.

Those flight attendants were out of line. When I traveled 10 years ago with my baby and my 6yo, the only thing the flight attendants on my plane said to me was 'do you have a ticket for that baby's car seat?' No help whatsoever. A very kind gentleman in first class was the only assistance I got in trying to handle a car seat, a diaper bag, a stroller, a baby, and a 6yo.

[Lance_Boyle]

143. "No help whatsoever"

Maybe that's because those were FLIGHT ATTENDANTS, and not car seat/diaper bag/stroller/child attendants? Would you also complain if your mail carrier failed to paint your house?

[Gormy Cuss]

144. Right. Their job is handing out pillows and selling drinks.

It's not part of their job to expedite the seating of passengers and to make sure that seat restraints are used properly with car seats.

:eyes:

[Midlodemocrat]

145. Yeah, that makes sense.

FAIL.

:eyes:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

146. they are flight attendants... not just waitresses/waiters. they have to do more than bring water to

you.

its part of their job.

[Ladyhawk]

147. This thread reminds me of why I left DU.

Every once in a great while I come back and have a peek. I tried the lounge this time hoping to find a thread that wasn't in flames. Jesus, do you guys really enjoy fighting like this? You must because DU is nothing but a huge barbecue. Enjoy skewering each other and holding the resulting shish-ka-bob over the flames.

There are no words to express how I feel. I need an emoticon of an exploding head.

[skooooo]

148. lots of humor here i thought

[skooooo]

149. NO MATTER WHAT you say in this thread..someone yells at you..

...or gets offended! It's hilarious.