You don't have kids, do you? I can tell because you don't just go up to a 2 year old, tell them to be quiet, and then magically watch them settle down and be...you know...quiet.
I agree, and parents these days are in the 'damned if you do and damned if you don't' position if they do discipline their child in public. When I was growing up, a spanking (not a beating) would have solved the problem. Now, you are at risk of firm parental discipline (I'm not suggesting abusing children) putting you in the position of defending yourself with the police or social services. While some behavior issues (maybe even most) are parental problems, anyone that has had more than one child knows that each one is different, some are easy and some are not so easy to raise, even in the same environment.
My issue with this situation is not that the mother and child were removed, but that their luggage was not removed also. If you are going to deny them service then you have a responsibility to give them back their possessions as well. I also find it hard to believe that this child was a 'little angel' while in the terminal or immediately after boarding so this situation should have been resolved before the plane ever left the terminal.
In terms of child vs adult behavior, I was on an AA flight several weeks ago with an adult sitting on the bulkhead and the FA had to tell him no less than four times to put his carry on bag under another seat. Twice, after she stowed the bag somewhere during taxi and takeoff he grabbed it and put it back in front of him at the bulkhead. She was very aggravated with the pax but he stayed on the flight. Childish or adult behavior?
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Why don't planes put in a 2-3 of video camera recording activity in the cabin. It would verify any problems/complaints. Also FAs should always ask nearby passengers to volunteer to be witnesses to what happened -- a sure way to get veriification. Cost and weight would be minimal - with a reset/clear of hard drive every day if no incidents occurred.
Why don't planes put in a 2-3 of video camera recording activity in the cabin. It would verify any problems/complaints. Also FAs should always ask nearby passengers to volunteer to be witnesses to what happened -- a sure way to get veriification. Cost and weight would be minimal - with a reset/clear of hard drive every day if no incidents occurred.
If we get a choice, I'd like to vote for an IFE system first. Although pax on delayed flights are generally pretty calm, the extra distraction from the IFE on Virgin America, Frontier, and Jetblue seems to shorten even their longest flights (well, except maybe those Jetblue on-the-tarmac all-nighters...).
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Wait I thought those were the types of PAX that are normally on WN? One of the reasons I refuse to fly them even on 45 minute flights unless there are no alternatives.
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My gut says this was a clash beteween a mother who gave no effort to calm her kid and mouthed off to the FA/refused the request to try a couple things to calm her child down. Nothing like baby benadryl either--basic parenting stuff like (gasp) offer a small toy to play with, a snack, or accept WN's offer of a free coloring book.
You don't have kids, do you? I can tell because you don't just go up to a 2 year old, tell them to be quiet, and then magically watch them settle down and be...you know...quiet.
Oh...in before the lock.
My daughter never caused any trouble on planes, whether she was 3 months old or now when she flies alone between my house and my ex's at the age of 8.
A 2 year old is plenty easy to control if you don't allow the child to control you. This wasn't a kid in the throes of a tantrum that needed to be calmed, this was a kid speaking (screaming) too loudly.
Parents just don't discipline these days........they need to stop being "best friends" to their children and be PARENTS who do more than provide snacks and "time out". Other 2-3 year olds are behaved, disciplined, trained and don't disrupt an entire planeload of passengers. WN rewarding the parent after the fact left what message ???
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Quote:
Originally Posted by russo
I'd like to thank the FA for having enough balls to do this. Excellent job!
Quote:
Originally Posted by reamworks
I just sent southwest a letter saying that they were wrong to apologize to the Mom.
They should NEVER undermine their Flight Attendants for making a safety decision. People couldn't hear crew member instructions because of this little monster and his incompetent mom.
By undermining the authority of their Flight Attendants, they have made Southwest a little less safe for the rest of us.
I sent a letter to WN too. Just got the response in my email box (bolding mine):
Dear Evan!,
Thank you for taking the time to voice your thoughts regarding another Customer's experience in Amarillo on October 26. As we know you appreciate, the Safety of our Customers is the number one priority for every Southwest Employee. Our Flight Attendants are trained to follow all Safety procedures to ensure comfortable and safe travel in the manner that every one of our Customers so deeply deserve. Although it is extremely rare for us to remove a Customer from a flight under any circumstances, with Safety first, we support our Crew’s decision. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Your patronage is important to us, and we hope to have the privilege of serving your future air travel needs.
Sincerely,
Michelle, Southwest Airlines
How can Michelle, representing WN, say "...with Safety first, we support our Crew’s decision." ???? It is apparent by the press release that WN does NOT support their Crew's (capitalized?) decisions or they wouldn't have apologized and rewarded the mother with $.
I now have a new formula for success! (If you measure success by easy money.)
1) Get kicked off a WN plane
2) Get press coverage
3) Make sure you involve a child
4) Make sure a cute-as-can-be picture of the child is part of the press coverage
5) Bank the apology money (voucher)!
Gee, and here I was taught to go to school, get a good job, live by the golden rule, and remember that my kids are not everyone's kids. All this time all I really needed was a good press agent.
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It's called sucking up to everyone in sight. Collectively the picture might look a bit mangled but they are trying to please everyone. Backing up the FA does not mean that they can't also try to appease & shut up the mother.
My gut says this was a clash beteween a mother who gave no effort to calm her kid and mouthed off to the FA/refused the request to try a couple things to calm her child down. Nothing like baby benadryl either--basic parenting stuff like (gasp) offer a small toy to play with, a snack, or accept WN's offer of a free coloring book.
That was my reaction, too. There are usually two sides to the story - the mother got the initial news hype but I'll be the FAs would tell a different story.
Although as a parent I am generally sympathetic, I'd be willing to bet that this kid was out of control and the parent wasn't doing her job. WN FA's deal with rowdy kids and toddlers every day and you don't read about them getting kicked off planes.
Our 3-year old has been on 60+ flights - mostly on WN - and we've never had any problems. Of course, we are sure to bring plenty of food, liquids, books, games, toys, etc. And if he were to yell my hand would be covering his mouth in an instant.
It's hard to determine whether the compensation was appropriate, given all the facts we don't know, but certainly makes sense from a PR standpoint.
Nb. Benadryl is not a good idea unless you've tested first - some kids (like ours) have an opposite reaction and become hyper.
The more difficult situation is when you have an autistic child (or adult) where you would be required to transport them or risk ADA violation (assuming there were no safety issues).
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