Originally Posted by
HMPS
This just made CBS evening news.
FA overacted in her report to Captain. That size child's cannot be a safety risk .
The Autistic lobby will have a field day, a new poster. Hild and UA will make a confidential settlement.
This is a 15 yr old, who may melt down and scratch other people, and you say "cannot be a safety risk"?!?! I can assure you, when I was 15, and I was small at that age, the damage I could have done if it was my goal, would certainly be sufficient to be a safety risk to others and people around me.
Are you serious when you said that?
Originally Posted by
MKEflyer95
I have a very high-functioned form of autism as well and looking at this, I thought this is just wrong of United to do. I've always liked flying and I know what to expect. But she probably isn't into aviation as me so she doesn't know that she's not supposed to cause a distruption on the plane. There was nothing her parents could really do to stop her from crying about getting no hot food. If this was on Delta or American, they'd probably take this situation more maturely without having to divert the plane. If she was flying alone they'd probably give her a first-class meal. When I was 9 and I flew alone, I got put in first class. Originally I had an economy seat but that flight turned out to be the best I've been on. If her parents would've informed United that she was autistic BEFORE the flight, then maybe she'd get to fly first class and get a first class meal and no distruptions.
There are pictures of her all over the Internet at places like Turks and Caicos, as well as other places. Given they are from the pac-northwest, the probability that they drove or took a boat in the past vs flying is small. I'm pretty sure that she's flown at least a few times before, on her outbound flights to MCO (multiple flights) as well as at least a couple of flights each way to the islands. It appears that they are well traveled.