Emily Kaiman was flying on a US Airways plane with her mother and four small children Sunday from Ft. Lauderdale back home to St. Louis.
They had a layover in Charlotte that was supposed to last one hour, but turned into three hours. When they got on the plane, Kaiman said her 17-month-old son, Shai, who was in her lap, was restless and at one point stuck his leg into an aisle. A flight attendant told her that could not happen.
"And I'm very apologetic and I say, ‘I'm so sorry. I will keep him as best as I can. I will do my best,’" Kaiman said.
The fussiness continued during the half-hour taxi, and before they knew it the plane was heading back to the gate.
"On comes airport personnel and they walk right up to us and say, ‘I'm sorry, but you're going to have to get off this plane. The flight crew has determined they're not flying with you,’" Kaiman said. "I think my words were something like, ‘What? Are you kidding me?’"
Airline officials told Channel 9 at one point the toddler was standing on the arm of the seat reaching toward the luggage compartment, and that his behavior as a whole was a safety issue for everyone on board.
They said they gave the mother time to contain him, but she did not. The mother said Shai could not even reach that far and that she was holding him the whole time. Plus, she said, the airline booked them on another flight a little while later.
"He acted in the exact same manner temporarily being quieted during takeoff, and fussing and trying to squirm out of my arms," Kaiman said.
She said since airlines allow parents to fly with children 2 years old and younger in their laps, they need to have more tolerance. She said if the flight crew had acted with more compassion this situation would have ended differently.
"The rules that were written in order to be able to eject passengers who were not being cooperative were not written for a 17-month-old," Kaiman said. "I just was not going to sit and let this go by and then someone else has the same experience because I didn't speak up."
Airline officials said it's up to each flight crew to determine if there is a safety risk and act accordingly.
The family wants an apology and some sort of reimbursement.
They had a layover in Charlotte that was supposed to last one hour, but turned into three hours. When they got on the plane, Kaiman said her 17-month-old son, Shai, who was in her lap, was restless and at one point stuck his leg into an aisle. A flight attendant told her that could not happen.
"And I'm very apologetic and I say, ‘I'm so sorry. I will keep him as best as I can. I will do my best,’" Kaiman said.
The fussiness continued during the half-hour taxi, and before they knew it the plane was heading back to the gate.
"On comes airport personnel and they walk right up to us and say, ‘I'm sorry, but you're going to have to get off this plane. The flight crew has determined they're not flying with you,’" Kaiman said. "I think my words were something like, ‘What? Are you kidding me?’"
Airline officials told Channel 9 at one point the toddler was standing on the arm of the seat reaching toward the luggage compartment, and that his behavior as a whole was a safety issue for everyone on board.
They said they gave the mother time to contain him, but she did not. The mother said Shai could not even reach that far and that she was holding him the whole time. Plus, she said, the airline booked them on another flight a little while later.
"He acted in the exact same manner temporarily being quieted during takeoff, and fussing and trying to squirm out of my arms," Kaiman said.
She said since airlines allow parents to fly with children 2 years old and younger in their laps, they need to have more tolerance. She said if the flight crew had acted with more compassion this situation would have ended differently.
"The rules that were written in order to be able to eject passengers who were not being cooperative were not written for a 17-month-old," Kaiman said. "I just was not going to sit and let this go by and then someone else has the same experience because I didn't speak up."
Airline officials said it's up to each flight crew to determine if there is a safety risk and act accordingly.
The family wants an apology and some sort of reimbursement.
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