Originally Posted by
gglave
The academic question wasn't 'would you take responsibility for the child.'
The question was whether the airline would deplane a family who wasn't sitting together if the child was just sitting in their assigned seat reading or coloring. My daughter is quite shy and I suspect this would be her reaction.
Yes the question was, in effect, 'would you take responsibility for the child'. You are presumming someone else to take responsibility for your pre-school child if a parent is not nearby.
Can your 4 yo manage an emergency if you are not adjacent? Can she understand the FA emergency instructions? Secure her oxygen mask by herself? Evacuate the plane? You cannot assist her if you are seating several rows away and properly buckled in your seat (as would be expected during the initial steps of an emergency plan)
Whether the child is old enough to fly unaccompanied would be the criteria to assess the need to deplane. By not securing adjacent seats in advance, you (the parent) have created a safety issue on the flight.