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Mom and autistic toddler kicked off plane
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Anonymous
| Poor baby. Have people no empathy? |
Anonymous
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That is pretty horrible. I still have vivid memories of the last flight I took with my 2 year old where I had to physically restrain him in order to keep him belted in his seat. And he isn't autistic - just very strong-willed and stubborn. The flight was delayed by over an hour (while on the runway, so we had to all be in our seat belts the whole time) and he just had a meltdown.
If I'd been treated like that by a flight attendant I would have totally lost it. As is, I broke down crying. Seems to me the flight attentant and pilot would have been better off trying to distract the child somehow or given him food or something... |
Anonymous
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In general, I agree that we're suffering a shortage of empathy and patience and understanding everywhere, and especially in the air travel industry. But in such an environment, where folks need to line up, sit down, strap in... where should the line be drawn? How long should a child be allowed to flout the rules (whether or not its his or his parents' fault) before the airline can reasonably decide to take them off the plane? It's not like the pilot is allowed to say, "poor scamp, let's just take off even though he's not buckled in." The FAA is pretty clear on that.
A new hard-and-fast rule (like, 15 minutes of temper tantrum is ok, then you're outta here) is obviously no solution. The aforementioned patience and understanding probably isn't going to happen. So how to deal? |
Anonymous
| This scares me. While I haven't flown with my child (who's on the autistic spectrum) since he was an infant, what if we do? Certainly parents of kids with special needs do their best to prepare for air travel but some things are beyond control--in this case, the long wait before takeoff and the overwhelming stewardess. |
Anonymous
| Sorry to be brutal but a pilot and the steward/esses have to be resonsiblle for the lives/safety of sometimes hundreds of people. They cannot take a chance that a child cannot be strapped in or that yelling from a child who is unable to control oneself due to a medical condition could start to upset passengers and cause some sort of commotion. I completely understand where they would be coming from--if a child is unable to calm down and it's before the plane leaves when the crew can do something about it then they have to. I also think parents have to be smart-sorry but if I was in that family's shoes and had an autistic child--I would know that flights sometimes do not go on time and would know what my child't limits were. As it is, I have a child not on the spectrum who cannot take more than two hours on a plane with certainty so I have avoided long flights because I know it could be a problem. |
Anonymous
| So, what should the mother do just never fly? That is pretty much impossible these days. The airlines need to figure out a way to deal with families. |
Anonymous
| What about a note from a dr.? Could that possibly help garner some understanding from pilots and flight attendants who are not so compassionate? |
Anonymous
| Yes the mother should not fly with the child--flying is not a right, it's a priviledge and people forget that a pilot has discretion on having people on his plane. An unruly passenger--even one in a tragic situation that isn't their fault-could still be a danger to the flight and the safety of sometimes a hundred or more people overides individual ease in travel. Don't get me wrong-I tend to zone out when kids are crying but I could see how an out of control child could be a problem. I again question why someone who had a child with this kind of medical condition would subject them to flying. |
Anonymous
Your comments are borderline discriminatory. What if the child was flying to a treatment center for his disability? The issue was that the stewardesses were rude. And since the airlines do not outright prohibit disabled customers, then the paying autistic boy had every right to be on the plane. The child was in his seat and had his seatbelt on. He just wasn't happy about it and the airline staff made the situation worse. He was not a threat to the flight. I would hope that the other passengers would have provided some sympathy and encouragement, but too many people only think about themselves. Put yourself in other people's shoes! I'm sure the mom wasn't looking forward to this. |
Anonymous
I have a child with that medical condition and we fly 1-2 times a year... overseas *gasp* And while I would have to live with the fact to have to leave the plane, should I absolutely not be able to calm my child down, I do ask for some exceptions, such as being able to hold him on my lap during take-off. So far it's been working out okay although I know fellow passengers hate me. Having a flight attendant and pilot talk to me in an aggressive manner would certainly NOT help me to deal with my kid. And why do I subject him to flying? Because my entire family lives overseas, and I am very close to them, so is he, my mother is the only other person he ever opened up to completely. MOST people with autistic children don't fly with them for the fun of it. It's the most stressful situation. I will be on the plane again in 2 1/2 weeks, so watch out 
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Anonymous
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If you paid for a seat on the plane, it is absolutely a right to fly and NOT a privilege. You bought a product/service and you should expect to receive it.
Why in the world would flying be a privilege?!?! There is nothing special about it. Is riding on the metro a "privilege"?!?! |
Anonymous
Yes, but everyone else on that flight bought a seat too. It sounds like the flight attendant handled the situation horribly and made it worse. Maybe without that, the child would have calmed down on his own. But I'm sorry-- if my toddler was having a complete tantrum, I would ask if we could get off the plane to save the other passengers the stress of listening to my screaming child, and would ask that I not be charged for the ticket change. Yes, parents of toddlers (who are prone to tantrums, whether autistic or not) deserve to fly when they buy a ticket. But all those other passengers who bought tickets too deserve a reasonable amount of peace, to the extent possible. Plus, by the end, the article I saw said the child was on the ground and wouldn't get back in his seat. What choice did the pilot have (except that he should have left out the extra commentary)? Most people wouldn't consider getting on a plane (or bringing a child on a plane) if they had a contagious illness. Why? So they wouldn't expose the other passengers to it. Obviously, neither autism nor tantrums are contagious. But the stress that emanates from the child, the parent, and the flight crew during the tantrum are. If the child can't be brought under control within a reasonable period of time, then the responsible thing is to get off the plane voluntarily. At that point, that decision is probably in the best interest of the child anyway. |
Anonymous
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If you walk into any business and are disruptive to other customers (especially if you are a safety risk), then you are not entitled to service even if you paid for that service. Why do you think they have bouncers at bars and "security personnel" at tons of other establishments?
The mother was not following FAA regulations and the airline was totally within their rights to kick her and her kid off. They were sitting in the first row -- closest to the door of the airplane with an out of control child and a mother who did not want to stow her carry-on. If the carry-on was so vital that should could not put it in the overhead compartment, then she could have requested that someone in the back trade seats with her. Instead of just having the 2yo in the seat, she should have had him in a carseat or a CARES harness -- that way he probably wouldn't have been able to wriggle out of the seatbelt. It doesn't sound like the mother or the flight crew were acting very friendly. Sure, in most instances, disabled people do deserve special accomodations, but not when it compromises the safety of others. It was a bad situation, but there are times when you need to realize that the child is in over his head and needs to be removed from the situation. Sure it is a bummer for the family to miss the flight, but it is also you job as a parent to realize when enough is enough. |
Anonymous
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I sat on a plane with an autistic 8 yr. old for a very long flight. The mother tried to control him, but it was a nightmare for me. I tolerated it for 3/4 of the flight, but needed some sleep b/c I had to go to work that day. I could not sleep while being jabbed and kicked by this youngster, so I asked to be put in first class.
I will say that I had sympathy for that mother, as she was sweet and apologetic. However, in some cases, parents with these kids might need to limit their travel. |