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.

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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.


Without starting a flame war- what are your thoughts??

I say good for Airtran! I have small kids, and they get unruly at times. I would not inconvenience others due to my childs behavior. I think airtran went ABOVE and BEYOND by refunding their flight, flying them home for free the next day AND giving them free RT tickets.

I couldn't agree with you more.

I think they did the right thing. They were already 15 minutes behind, and some of the people would have connecting flights and being later might cause them to miss their next flight. It's hard to say how long it would of taken the parents to calm her down. I feel sorry for the people on the flight they took the next day. If she was climbing under seats and hitting her parents after just getting on the plane can you imagine how she acted the rest of the flight?

ITA with AirTran Airways. I find it strange that the parents are not happy with AirTrans and thought they should been giving time to calm down their child....they couldn't control their kid & they expected 112 people to wait on them.

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I agree with the airlines.

I think AirTran did the right thing and were overly-generous in giving them three free round trip tickets. Of course, the father said he would never fly AirTran again, but I bet he'll use those free tix! They had already delayed the plane for 15mins., and I bet the other passengers were VERY glad to see that family get off the plane. Sure, it inconvenienced that family, but think about how many other families would have been inconvenienced had the flight waited for the little girl to get calm. I do know that if that had been one of my kids, DH would have had them in their seat so fast their little heads would be spinning-click the seatbelt and GO!!!

I too have traveled with 3 kids all from a very small age. If this kid was that uncontrollabe then the airline had to do what they had to do. Also if you watch the news and see that even during the interview this kid was bouncing and jumping all over the couch and parents. They definitly should have had more control over this child. Different if maybe a really small infant with colick or dismcomfort but she is at an age where she should be able to be told to sit down and behave. Just my opinion. And beleive me I have had to put on many threatening looks to my kids and they knew this meant business.

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I think they did the right thing. I agree they went above & beyond by offering them a refund & free tickets!!

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mom of 3 greats girls

I applaud AirTran! They handled it very well from what I have read.

It saddens me because it seems that many people have this "me first" attitude these days, that they and their children are more important than the other 112 people on the plane.

AirTran more than compensated them for having a child that the parents couldn't control. A three year old is certainly old enough to obey when it is told to sit in their seat and stop crying. I would have been MORTIFIED if one of my kids behaved that badly and I can't imagine blaming the airline for kicking us off the airplane that WE already delayed for 15 minutes!!!!!

I agree they went way above & beyond by offering them a refund & free tickets!!

I also age the airlines did a lot more then they should of.

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I agree that in fairness to everyone, AirTran did the right thing. I'm sure this family was inconvienced but it was their child causing the inconvience and it certainly would not be fair to all the other passengers to continue being delayed.

I agree with AirTran completely.
My DS is 4 and I would have walked off myself after torturing everyone for 5 minutes. Thank God he's not like that!

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Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

I agree they did right and went way beyond what they should have. I have flown with my kids that age and wouldnt expect "extra" time to calm her down.

I also agree with AirTran. I'm so sick of seeing parents not take control of their children. I'm not sure why the parents didn't just grab the child from under the seat and place her in the seat and strap her in. More than likely, they've allowed her to walk all over them all along and it will just get much worse as she gets older. I can't believe AirTran flew them home for free, reimbursed them for their original airfare and is offering them 3 round trip tickets for free! That's outrageous! It was their child that was the problem to begin with. If the flight was already 15 minutes late, the parents had more than enough time to get the child out from under the seat and buckled in.

I agree with all the above!
The parents said she was "crying ," It was reported that she was throwing her self around screaming!

I would not want to be one of the 112 others on a plane ride with a child acting like that!

Looking at her on TV they are not in control ! She is!

I bet the airline is happy about that

TOTAL agreement!

I don't find it strange at all anymore. Too many parents feel that their little baby should be first and foremost in everyone else's book. Why should it matter to them that 112 other people had lives, people waiting for them, places to go, etc and who knows HOW long it would have taken to calm down the child?

If I'm correct, don't people with small children get to board FIRST? What in the heck were they doing the entire time? Usually boarding is 20 minutes ahead of the flight or thereabouts. Let's say they got on the plane 10 minutes before and had an additional 15. So 25 minutes and they can't calm down their kid, yet everyone else should wait?

Nah, not surprised at all. Saddened at the fact that this seems the way society is getting more and more, but not surprised. Besides, I would imagine they were embarrassed. Not embarrassed enough to be considerate to everyone else, but embarrassed enough to feel it was everyone's fault but their own.


LOL!! I laughed when I read that too. I'm sure AirTran is ECSTATIC they won't have to deal with that again! You can just tell how people are in situations like that. If that were me I would have been apologizing up a storm to all the other passengers and crew and be happy with the refund so I could get another flight. I wouldn't EXPECT entire flights to revolved around me and my family.



~ Ambrie ~

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I agree, but do not agree with AirTran offering them additional free tickets. The father says that he would never fly with them again HA~I bet you those tickets will be used by July!!!! Rules are rules and they are there for the protection of their passengers. Had the parents known that this would have been a problem with comforting their child then they should have boarded the plane early so the child could get use to sitting in the seat. They could have also provided many things to comfort and distract the child. We never knew what to expect when flying with our daughter when she was young so we were always prepared with items to entertain her during delays, takeoffs and landings. Lucky for us these were never needed and she has always been a joy to travel with.

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One report I saw the parents were trying to say she had some pain on the trip there and remembered it and that is why she was acting bad. Then it changed to her some ear discomfort???

I could excuse a child a year or so crying , but sounds like hers was a tantrum.
My 3 yr olds knew how to behave.


Does anyone think they are thinking of suing???

I absolutely think that they are trying to sue, whatelse would they be going on tv and getting all this attention for, so other people with misbehaved children will not fly with AirTram. Lawsuit was the first thing that came to my mind when I heard this story on tv the other morning.

Wow I think the airline went way overboard on trying to appease the parents. I bet none of the other airlines would have been that nice or understanding. Can you imagine that flight if they would have left the kid on? Then they would probably have x amount of other passengers ready to sue them, having to listen to that kid throwing a tantrum the entire time. I haven't seen the video or even heard about this story yet before here.

Wonder since the family is never going to fly the airline again, would they give my family their free tickets? I'd bet not; I'm with the poster that said they will use them. I can't imagine they would win a lawsuit over this; what crazy jury would side with the parents on this, especially when the airline went out of their way to treat them courteously and the airline was following the guidelines for takeoff. Man, most normal people would be apologizing their rears off for their child's behavior. I'd be humiliated and my child would not like the sight of me for a long time.

Sounds like they need on the on the Supernanny show not the news!

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Lyn Clarke

Exactly what I thought!

Wow, I can not believe so many people actually agree with Airtran! I had a Weight Watchers meeting and beforehand there were several women who were up in arms about the unfairness. One lady said if Airtran wanted the business of families, they would have to put up with children who misbehave. Later I was at Meijer and the lady in front of me started talking to the cashier and they agreed that Airtran was so wrong.

I agree with the many posters who say Airtran went above and beyond. I keep thinking about all those people who had to hurry to a connecting flight because of the 15 mins these people took to not get their 3 year old under control.

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proving some of the best things in life come in a jar.

I can't imagine what crazy laywer would even consider taking such a non-sense case, knowing there would be no way of winning.

In my opinion those people should be barred from ever taking that child aboard another plane unless they proved they had given the child a DR. ordered seditive that would last the entire length of the flight.

It's amazing how many people think everyone should be tolerant of their lack of parenting skills and their obnoxious kids.

YES DEFINITELY a good case for Supernanny.

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Barb


My GOD Bless our Country and our Troops, and rid the World of terroists.

I agree, I thought the same thing. Giving that couple extra tickets makes you think AirTran felt guilty. They could be in trouble, you never know what juries are going to do these days.

I'll take it!!

Why? Because even though there is no case- a large corporation like Airtran is not going to let it go to court. The cost of defending a case (even a frivolous one) far surpasses the cost of "paying them off." I saw it happen daily. There are certain companies we used to LOVE to sue- because we knew darn well they would settle. Sad, but true. If the family files suit ( which I am sure they will) Airtrans legal counsel will offer them some ridiculous settlement to make them go away.

I think they did the right thing. More than they needed to...I believe that you need to control your child or LEAVE!
I'm the type of mom, when we go out to eat, if my child throws a fit, we leave...there is no way that it becomes other peoples background noise, no one wants to hear that! Anything else is just bad manners.

Alright, armor is on, I'm ready to get bombed for my opinion...

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"Cougars for Cook"

I think there's a big difference between "misbehaving" and an outright tempertantrum.

Granted, none of us were there, but do you REALLY think that an airline would have taken a family off a plane for just a teeny bit of misbehaving, when I'm sure said airline KNEW it was putting itself in the line of fire for some negative publicity from some factions? C'mon. This isn't something that happens all the time, I think for an airline to do this it HAS to be drastic.

As I said in my earlier post, people with small children board FIRST. How long were these parents trying to get their child under control exactly? How long should 112 other people be inconvenienced because of a child that parents can't control? What about getting return business of those people? I'm sorry, sometimes the needs of the many DO outweigh the needs of the few.

I'll bet the woman that said that airlines should put up with children that misbehave would have sung a different tune if she were on that flight - and ended up being highly inconvenienced because of it.



No "bombing" here! I applaud you for your diligence. Not only are you and your family being wonderfully kind and considerate to others around you, you're in essence teaching your child the same manners!! They WILL remember.

~ Ambrie ~

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I think they will sue because I seen them this morning on national tv also WHY who knows I would be hiding under a rock if it was my kid LOL but anyways they did say they declined the free tickets so ya to me that says thier are gonna sue & I have a 3 yr old who just turned 3 & she dont act like that but we all know kids get cranky especially on long trips but thats also no reason 100's of other passengers had to wait besides where would be had she not been in a car seat & flown & got hurt or the plane crashed & she was injured or dead because of not being in her seat the parents should be thanking the airline not bashing them on national tv

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mom of 3 greats girls

I would bet you are right! I would also bet that her kids "misbehave" quite often

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Nutella,....
proving some of the best things in life come in a jar.

I wonder if they make her stay in a car seat in their vehicle?

I agree that it seems as if children are begininning to rule more and more. It's not good for them, even though it may make the parents feel good. Life does not revolve around one person when we become adults, and they are not learning that. Parents seem to forget that we are raising adults, not children....

Definitely think the airlines did the right thing. I am SO tired of parents who think their children do no wrong. I am so afraid of the next generation because of these parents who think their child is right and comes first no matter what and no discipline!

(Putting on my flame-retardent suit here) I'll add something else --- if it had been one of my boys acting like that when they were that age, they'd had a little trip to the restroom where they would have gotten a little smack on their bottom and then told they WERE going to behave!
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Poll on GMA this am
was
62% for airlines
and I think it was
30 % for the parents
They said some one for the parents posted something about "childless people" not understanding about children .
I doubt if it asked if you had kids when people voted!

I had 5 children and I do understand

Parents need to have some control over their child. Children NEED to listen.
What happens if she is in danger of getting seriously hurt and they can't get her to listen??

When we go out to eat, DH asks for the "non-screaming children" section.
If these parents cannot control a three year old, shame on them.
I hope the jury awards them nothing but "parenting lessons" and makes them pay restitution to the airlines. (wishful thinking of how things SHOULD be)

I wish I had overheard those conversations. Those women are clueless. It is a LAW that passengers be strapped in or held (as a child). She wasn't either. The plane was supposed to just sit and wait for this kid to be brought under control? It could have taken an hour. I wish the airline hadn't offered them anything.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

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The issue as I understand it is not just that the child was throwing a temper tantrum, but that she refused to sit in her seat. The parents asked to hold her in their laps, and were told that federal regulations mandate that all passengers over 2 yrs must be seated in their own seat for the plane to leave, and this child is 3yrs. If the parents wouldn't make her sit in her seat, and federal rules don't allow the airlines to let the child sit in the parent's lap, what else was Airtran supposed to do?

bet the tickets will be sold on ebay . lol. i agree with the air lines.

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I completely support that parent's decision to boycott AirTran in the future. That means I don't have to worry about them being on my next AirTran flight.

Oh, and I don't think they will sue. I think they have gotten the message pretty clearly that the majority of people think the airline was in the right. I think at this point they just want the spotlight turned off.

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Raising my baby RIGHT!!!!!!

All the cool babies are wearing cloth!

I agree with AirTran.

We have flown several times with our kids, twice from Hawaii to the East Coast. Youngest was 2 months shy of 2yo, and then 2 1/2 when we flew it again. We brought LOTS of stuff for all the kids to do. Not to mention, we have, from day ONE, taught our kids how to behave in public.

When we flew into Washington, DC, we were instructed 30 mins. before landing that NO ONE was to get out of their seat, or the plane would have to be diverted. Can you imagine if this kid was on a flight like that???

I'm all for being understanding if the child has ear pain, or gets a little antsy, be, gee wiz, they hadn't even taken off yet, and this child was out of control.

Anyway, I agree with AirTran's decision. If anything, I think the parents should be on TV apologizing not trying to drum up sympathy.

JMTCW

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

I wish more than anything that Judge Judy could hear the lawsuit involving this family.

I can only imagine the tongue lashing the parents would take, and I'd pay good money to hear it. lol!

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I'm just glad that everyone agrees. I firgured I would be the only one. I hate the way that kids are allowed to behave in public. The air lines should be applauded for their stand and I'm sure they won a lot of brownie points from customers who feel the same way. No one should be inconvenienced by a poorly behaved kid.

I am glad they took the stand they did. I would be mortified if I was those parents and I would never have made it public!!!