Community Chat

[Noel7]

"Armstrong (another passenger) said the child was calmly sitting in her seat, but Southwest employees still decided to have the family kicked off the flight." 

[Noel7]

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@Tinkrbl44wrote:

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@qbetzforrealwrote:

I fly quite bit and it is stressful, from the time you arrive to security and boarding and it only becomes less stressful when you are in the air.

No one is saying that this child in particular was an animal. She may have calmed down because she was getting off of the plane. The pilot whose job is to see that things smoothly made a judgement call.  As others have stated, it's about safety and schedule.

Also, a father and child being placed on another flight does not and cannot be compared at all to a defenseless animal being placed in an overhead bin w/no oxygen.  That is a reaching comparison.

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@qbetzforreal

I think many don't realize how much even a 10 minute delay can turn into a huge domino effect ....  affecting many travelers and flights all around the country. 

 People might miss their connecting flights, even if they run like mad through terminals.  Maybe they make the connection, but it's possible their luggage won't.  Planes need to be serviced, re-fueled and safety checks made ... and running late can cause a real logjam for the mechanics (and other planes)  who do their best to keep planes mechanically safe.

It's the pilot's call .... keeping their plane on time opposed to the "unknown" screaming toddler factor.  Maybe the kid would calm down ... and maybe they wouldn't calm down!   None of us know the answer to that one.

IMO, the pilot made the right call by removing the disruption.   Maybe the dad should have taken an Amtrak train.

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@Tinkrbl44

She had ALREADY calmed down.

[Spurt]

Ive seen this happen time and time again...sadly too many parents dont show any type of discipline with their children so when they are in a public setting or i new surroundings they can't control their kids...Ive seen this happen in restaurants where parents let the kids run wild bumping into waiters carrying food in drinks, Ive seen it in movie theaters where a kid screamed and shouted out loud because his mother wouldn't let him play with her cell phone during the movie,  Ive seen parents let their kid "play" at the mall including climbing on upper level railings, running the wrong way on escalator, even in hospitals running up and down the halls....Some children aren't taught any discipline or how to act in a public settin..

If she quieted down that quickly I dont think she was scared at all she just didnt want to sit down and be confined in a seat belt......but then he bribes with popcorn suddenly she's "no longer afraid"---popcorn has such calming qualities...boy that kid has him trained...should be the other way around....

And if they waited until the child was "happy" someone may have missed a connecting flight and tied up other flights as well.....perhaps the father should have showed some compassion and consideration for his fellow passengers....

.

[sidsmom]

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@Noel7wrote:

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@Tinkrbl44wrote:

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@qbetzforrealwrote:

I fly quite bit and it is stressful, from the time you arrive to security and boarding and it only becomes less stressful when you are in the air.

No one is saying that this child in particular was an animal. She may have calmed down because she was getting off of the plane. The pilot whose job is to see that things smoothly made a judgement call.  As others have stated, it's about safety and schedule.

Also, a father and child being placed on another flight does not and cannot be compared at all to a defenseless animal being placed in an overhead bin w/no oxygen.  That is a reaching comparison.

---

@qbetzforreal

I think many don't realize how much even a 10 minute delay can turn into a huge domino effect ....  affecting many travelers and flights all around the country. 

 People might miss their connecting flights, even if they run like mad through terminals.  Maybe they make the connection, but it's possible their luggage won't.  Planes need to be serviced, re-fueled and safety checks made ... and running late can cause a real logjam for the mechanics (and other planes)  who do their best to keep planes mechanically safe.

It's the pilot's call .... keeping their plane on time opposed to the "unknown" screaming toddler factor.  Maybe the kid would calm down ... and maybe they wouldn't calm down!   None of us know the answer to that one.

IMO, the pilot made the right call by removing the disruption.   Maybe the dad should have taken an Amtrak train.

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@Tinkrbl44

She had ALREADY calmed down.

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It’s not a “calm down” thing.

It’s a ‘not-safely-secured-in-the-seat” thing. 

[Noel7]

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@sidsmomwrote:

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@Noel7wrote:

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@Tinkrbl44wrote:

---

@qbetzforrealwrote:

I fly quite bit and it is stressful, from the time you arrive to security and boarding and it only becomes less stressful when you are in the air.

No one is saying that this child in particular was an animal. She may have calmed down because she was getting off of the plane. The pilot whose job is to see that things smoothly made a judgement call.  As others have stated, it's about safety and schedule.

Also, a father and child being placed on another flight does not and cannot be compared at all to a defenseless animal being placed in an overhead bin w/no oxygen.  That is a reaching comparison.

---

@qbetzforreal

I think many don't realize how much even a 10 minute delay can turn into a huge domino effect ....  affecting many travelers and flights all around the country. 

 People might miss their connecting flights, even if they run like mad through terminals.  Maybe they make the connection, but it's possible their luggage won't.  Planes need to be serviced, re-fueled and safety checks made ... and running late can cause a real logjam for the mechanics (and other planes)  who do their best to keep planes mechanically safe.

It's the pilot's call .... keeping their plane on time opposed to the "unknown" screaming toddler factor.  Maybe the kid would calm down ... and maybe they wouldn't calm down!   None of us know the answer to that one.

IMO, the pilot made the right call by removing the disruption.   Maybe the dad should have taken an Amtrak train.

---

@Tinkrbl44

She had ALREADY calmed down.

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It’s not a “calm down” thing.

It’s a ‘not-safely-secured-in-the-seat” thing. 

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@sidsmom

She was sitting in her seat.  Did it say she wasn't buckled in?  If not, it was the attendant's job to point that out and offer to help.

[Noel7]

There are so many people around nowadays who don't particularly like children, and for sure they don't know much about them.

[Noel7]

She (Armstrong) said a 'flight attendant in red' came over and told the family that the girl 'needs to calm down and sit or will be escorted off,' Armstrong told WGN. 

'The man calms the child, gets her popcorn, sets her up,' she added. 

Armstrong said the child was calmly sitting in her seat, but Southwest employees still decided to have the family kicked off the flight.

[sidsmom]

FAA Regulations.

Every passenger must be in the seat.

M.a.y.b.e the flight was expected lots of turbulence.

If this passenger can’t obey the seatbelt rules while on the ground,

there will be an FAA Regulation Safety issue while in the air.

[Spurt]

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@Noel7wrote:

There are so many people around nowadays who don't particularly like children, and for sure they don't know much about them.

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Its a matter of being able to distinguish the difference between parents who take an actual interest to raise and teach their children discipline and how to act in public, and having well behaved children that are a pleasure to be around...and then there are those those that are lousy parents and produce undisciplined kids that we as a public have to put up with and suffer the inconveniences of their poor parenting skills..............

[Trinity11]

I just watched the video and the only real noise was from the flight attendant that clearly knew nothing about how 2 year old children behave. She could have easily de-escalated all of it but chose to cause a spectacle.