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No one would have known why she was getting off the plane. She wouldn't have had to say anything to anyone. Boarding takes a log time, so she would have had plenty of time to scoot to the gate agent, and have a quick word with him/her, showing her son's ticket and seat assignment.
Standby are boarded at the end of the boarding process, From Standby getting on to push back is usually less then 5 mins. She did not have the problem until the very end. Even if they loaded the Standby first, she would be swimming upstream against the boarding passengers.
Also if you try to get off the plane, they would want you to take your carry on with you, you under seat bags for security reasons. Then the FA have to have the people around re-verify their carry on to ensure there was nothing left behind.
Unfortunately, I think she did the right thing under the circumstances. She chose the least confrontational course of action, and kept her child safe. As a mother, my reaction would have been to unsheathe my claws, and roar! However, that usually isn't the best course of action. You just never know nowadays what could happen. She was already seated, the plane was ready to take off, there was no quicker route to her destination. Holding the child would have been very uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous for her by causing a risk for blood clots, muscle spasms, etc. However, if she caused a raucous, she could have been man-handled off the plane, and her child rough-handled as well. I would want to keep my child calm by avoiding a scene.
However, I hope she wasn't the world's best seat neighbor. After all, kids need to go to the bathroom, a lot on airplanes, with the engine vibrations, etc. And, of course, she would need to use the restroom, at least multiple times. As I understand it, she was sitting by the window, the stand-by passenger sat in the middle. No mention of who was sitting on the aisle seat? Well, she would have been perfectly in her rights to get up multiple times to use the restroom, escort the child to the restroom, take the child for walks up and down the aisle from time to time, oh, and change the diaper? I've had seat partners change the kid on the pull-down tray tables And, oh, was this a meal service? How was she supposed to eat her own meal, let alone feed the child his, while crammed together like that? I hope she did, albeit in a messy manner.
There's nothing that said she had to make the stand-by guy's trip pleasant while he interfered with her comfort.
Standby are boarded at the end of the boarding process, From Standby getting on to push back is usually less then 5 mins. She did not have the problem until the very end. Even if they loaded the Standby first, she would be swimming upstream against the boarding passengers.
Also if you try to get off the plane, they would want you to take your carry on with you, you under seat bags for security reasons. Then the FA have to have the people around re-verify their carry on to ensure there was nothing left behind.
The passenger, the mom, herself, could have "worked with the gate staff". She could have deplaned, while boarding was in process, and pointed out the error to the gate agent. This didn't have to be a big deal.
The source noted the person boarded to replace them in the seat was among the last to board the plane.
I am wondering why at least one flight attendant didn't realize that the child might too big to be a "lap child" need its own seat and therefore question the mother before the plane took off on the matter. Also was the child seated when the standby passenger that took the child's seat came on board (meaning did the standby passenger unseat the child)? If so, why didn't the standby passenger question the matter of the duplicate seat assignment?
Standby are boarded at the end of the boarding process, From Standby getting on to push back is usually less then 5 mins. She did not have the problem until the very end. Even if they loaded the Standby first, she would be swimming upstream against the boarding passengers.
Also if you try to get off the plane, they would want you to take your carry on with you, you under seat bags for security reasons. Then the FA have to have the people around re-verify their carry on to ensure there was nothing left behind.
The gate agent comes to the aircraft prior to closing the forward entry door. She never would have had to leave the plane. You are literally grasping at straws trying to justify this women's dramatic and pathetic story. It's a money grab pure and simple i.e. "My legs went numb!!! #temporarily"
Ummm, get up and take a walk like everybody else does with a lap child? Oh wait, she was probably "afraid" of (insert BS)...
What was that lawyer's name from Seinfeld that helped procure free coffeee for Kramer? This lady should definitely call him. With her irrational fears of one off events, I'm shocked she isn't chairing a campaign to prevent mass extinction by an asteroid.
The gate agent comes to the aircraft prior to closing the forward entry door. She never would have had to leave the plane. You are literally grasping at straws trying to justify this women's dramatic and pathetic story. It's a money grab pure and simple i.e. "My legs went numb!!! #temporarily"
Ummm, get up and take a walk like everybody else does with a lap child? Oh wait, she was probably "afraid" of (insert BS)...
What was that lawyer's name from Seinfeld that helped procure free coffeee for Kramer? This lady should definitely call him. With her irrational fears of one off events, I'm shocked she isn't chairing a campaign to prevent mass extinction by an asteroid.
And you are desperately trying to defend an indefensible airline's actions when even the airline admits they made a mistake.
If it were me, I would not have removed my child from the seat. The standby passenger would have had no choice but to take it up with the gate agent.
I was on the second leg of a United flight (a very tight connection) a few years back where my seat and my daughter's seat was double ticketed. The couple who had the same seat assignments insisted we get out of our seats, but I refused. The flight attendant came by and I again refused. She argued for a moment and then motioned the couple to the front of the plane. I don't know how they resolved it and I don't care.
I think the woman has every right to pursue financial reimbursement for the cost of her son's ticket. United was wrong. She PAID for the ticket for her son. Legally, her son is required to have a seat.
I don't know why people think she was doing a money grab. She would have had to have a refundable ticket and would have had to cancel it 10 minutes prior to take off in order to get a refund. She did not cancel the ticket. It was a multi-leg ticket. She boarded as directed.
I was on a Southwest plane this past weekend and a woman was complaining that she had to provide proof her child was under a year old. She did not have his birth certificate on hand. Southwest told her she would have to produce it (I think she said within 24 hours of the flight) or they would charge her for the flight.
The gate agent comes to the aircraft prior to closing the forward entry door. She never would have had to leave the plane.
From the article: "It was very shocking. I was confused. I told him, I bought both of these seats. The flight attendant came by, shrugs and says 'flights full'," Yamauchi said.
It sounds like the mom brought it up to the flight attendant and the FA didn't seem to care. I think it's understandable for the mom to believe the gate agent wouldn't be any more helpful than the flight attendant.
At that point, the mom probably just wants to not get thrown off the flight.
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And, oh, was this a meal service? How was she supposed to eat her own meal, let alone feed the child his, while crammed together like that? I hope she did, albeit in a messy manner. 
