This is what is wrong with America

If you haven't heard about the couple with their 3-year-old who were asked to leave an Air Tran Airlines flight this week because their daughter was throwing a tantrum and refused to be buckled into her seatbelt, read on. It's enlightening.

Airline stands by removal of couple, child
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

January 24, 2007

ORLANDO, Fla. - AirTran Airways yesterday defended its decision to kick a Massachusetts couple off a plane after their crying 3-year-old daughter refused to take her seat before takeoff.

Airline officials said they followed Federal Aviation Administration rules that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seat belt upon takeoff.

"The flight was already delayed 15 minutes and in fairness to the other 112 passengers on the plane, the crew made an operational decision to remove the family," spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.

But Julie and Gerry Kulesza, who were headed home to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers, Fla., said they just needed a little more time to calm their daughter, Elly.

"We weren't given an opportunity to hold her, console her or anything," Julie Kulesza said in a telephone interview yesterday.

The Kuleszas said they told a flight attendant they had paid for their daughter's seat, but asked whether she could sit in her mother's lap. The request was denied.

The family was removed because the child "was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat" during boarding, Graham-Weaver said.

Gerry Kulesza told the Worcester Telegram that after the family left the plane, a ground supervisor scolded him, saying she would never let her children behave that way.

The airline reimbursed the family $595.80, the cost of the three tickets, and the Kuleszas flew home the next day. They also were offered three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies, Graham-Weaver said.

Parents can be unbelievably ridiculous (and wonderful, like some of my friends who are parents that are reading this right now. This is so not about you...you're great parents!). Other news venues have reported that the mother in question stated to the flight attendants during the discussion, "It's not like she has a bomb strapped to her or anything". Let's leave aside the MAJOR breach of common sense in bringing up the word "bomb" in a conflict-filled airplane situation. Let's just take a look at the ridiculous behavior on the part of these parents. First of all, their daughter was throwing a tantrum. For over 15 minutes!!!! And you say that you weren't given an opportunity to hold her or console her? 15 minutes seems like a pretty big window to me! Especially when your daughter is hitting you...at some point you should be more embarrassed than angry. It's your problem as her parent. It's not the problem of the 112 people waiting to get to their families, their meetings, and their vacations. Suck it up, get your daughter off the plane and wait until she cries herself to sleep, and take a later flight. Secondly, these parents were righteously indignant about the whole issue, when they should have been humiliated by their daughter and their inability to calm her down. They have been on the "Today" show, among many others, expressing their distaste with Air Tran and loudly proclaiming the indignity that they experienced. PU-LEEZE. Air Tran not ONLY refunded your ticket money, which they certainly didn't have to do, they gave you hundreds of dollars in free airplane tickets to use at any time. I should be so lucky. Southwest didn't do that for me when my flight was cancelled, if you recall correctly.

These particular parents are morons. The best thing I've heard this week (aside from the fact that the Bears are going to the Superbowl!)is that 92% of America agrees with me. Read on...

AirTran: Public Supports Removal Of Child
Company Inundated With E-Mails, Phone Calls

POSTED: 2:17 pm EST January 24, 2007
UPDATED: 8:47 am EST January 25, 2007

ORLANDO, Fla. -- AirTran Airways said Wednesday that it is receiving overwhelming support from the public for bumping a screaming toddler from a Florida flight.

Airline spokesman Tad Hutcheson said the company's getting swamped with e-mails and phone calls, and 92 percent support the decision to get the tantrum-raising toddler off the plane.

Julie and Gerry Kulesza were heading home to Boston last week from Fort Myers when their 3-year-old daughter, Elly, got upset. She cried and refused to get strapped in her seat.

And cried. And cried.

Hutcheson said that the tantrum started when the family boarded and went 15 minutes past the departure time. The crew and gate agent decided the family had to get off, so the flight could go on. Federal regulations require all passengers to be strapped into their seats.

The family has refused the company's offer of free tickets. They were given a refund for the flight they had to leave.

The father said his family would never fly AirTran again.

Well, I, for one, will most certainly be flying AirTran more frequently now. Then I can be sure that I won't be running into the Kuleszas anytime soon. Kudos to AirTran for respecting their other passengers enough to step it up...oh, and I'll take the lovely family's free tickets if they're not going to use them. I like to travel free of charge. And I promise I won't bring a screaming 3-year-old.