Toddler's temper ousts family from plane By JIM ELLIS, Associated Press Writer
Tue Jan 23, 12:54 PM ET



ORLANDO, Fla. - AirTran Airways on Tuesday defended its decision to remove a Massachusetts couple from a flight after their crying 3-year-old daughter refused to take her seat before takeoff.

AirTran 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," AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.

Julie and Gerry Kulesza, who were headed home to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers, 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 Tuesday.

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.

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

The Orlando-based carrier 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.

The father said his family would never fly AirTran again.

Hmmm isn't that a tad harse for a toddler??
She may have been scared :dunno
Jer loves to fly and does 2xs a year since he was 18 mths. He sat with his grandma eventhough he has his own seat occasionally.... I didn't think it was that much of an issue... they have to sit in your lap before their 2 (or 3 not sure Jer got his own seat when he flew at 2.5) because they don't have their own seat so why would it be a big deal for her to sit with them for a few mins to calm down...

wow:wow

I can understand the disruption & irritation it was causing to the other passengers but to not let her sit in her parents lap until after they were at a safe altitude is just ridiculous!

I agree with you ladies. Dominic was just on his first plane ride in October, he was 20 months...and you should have seen the looks that I got when I carried him onto the plane...one woman even went OH NO! UGH!!! He was an angel, but I see no reason they coudln't let that poor little girl sit on her parents' laps. That's just wrong.

:shock :no i flew a ton of places when i was little. i was on my mom's lap in almost all of the pictures...

That's such crap. I cna't believe they wouldn't even let her mom hold her to calm her down. Not cool!

This may be harsh but I'm glad they were kicked off. I can understand babies and small children being scared but there is NO REASON for a child on a plane to be acting like this....

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

:nutts

yeah i dont think the child would have sat in her parents lap to well either without a fight. I would have much rather gotten off the plane then to try to fight a child to sit down in my lap after going thru all of that and holding up the other passengers. I think they did the right thing to and they were compensated for it. obviously the child must have behaved the next day or whenever they were able to fly home. That child shouldnt have been acting like that in the first place and the parents shouldnt have let the kid hit them either.

they are legally not allowed to let her sit in their laps. At 2 years old they are required to be in their own seat. It's a safety issue.

they are legally not allowed to let her sit in their laps. At 2 years old they are required to be in their own seat. It's a safety issue.


Yup! Age 2 years and up children are not allowed to sit on an adults lap. When we fly home this summer Austin will have to be in car seat in his own seat.

i think they did the right thing kicking them off the plane i dont think that the child would have calmed down.