Over-Reaction aboard AirTran Airways Flight … 3 Year Old Girl Kicked off Flight For Tamtrum

Have adults in positions of authority forgotten how to deal with children? I guess the real question is whether they even try anymore? Or have they just lost their minds? There has been a rash of over the top dealings with children in incidents that make one scratch their heads. A 12 year old special ed student was arrested for wetting her pants. A 4 year old was accused of improper touching and sexual assault by a teacher. 

Children are not adults. They do not act, think or rationalize like adults. The latest in a long line of bizarre stories comes via Air Tran Airways where flight attendants kicked a 3 year old girl and her parents off of plane bound for Boston because the girl would not stop crying and sit in her seat. Yes, 3 years old. I guess it was a matter of national security. One thinks some training is in order. If this keeps up it will be the exec’s that are crying.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Flight attendants often deal with obnoxious passengers who won’t listen to instructions by kicking them off the plane. But a Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways went overboard by treating their crying 3-year-old daughter in much the same way.

Julie and Gerry Kulesza and daughter Elly were removed from the flight when the girl refused to take her seat before takeoff, airline officials said Tuesday. But her parents said they just needed a little more time to calm her down.

What a customer and kid friendly reaction by the attendants of Air Tran. Nice PR for the future in a transportation business that constantly begs for more passengers. This hardly seems like the manner in how flight attendants should have handled matters. Obviously, the suits tried to remedy the PR nightmare by appeasing the situation.

The Orlando-based carrier reimbursed the family $595.80, the cost of the three tickets, and offered them three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies, Graham-Weaver said.

Too late, the father was quoted as saying … “they would never fly AirTran again.”