Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The family was kicked off for interfering with crew and not complying with crew instructions not because the seats were sold to someone else.
The incompetent crew members issued an illegal order. It is against FAA regulations to fly with a child on your lap. You think passengers should comply with an illegal order?
The family rightly objected at first, but eventually agreed to fly with the child in the father's lap. But to add insult to injury the crew members changed their mind and ordered the family off the flight anyway. Even after the parents complied with the illegal request they were still threatened with arrest.
The incompetent crew members issued an illegal order. It is against FAA regulations to fly with a child on your lap. You think passengers should comply with an illegal order?
The family rightly objected at first, but eventually agreed to fly with the child in the father's lap. But to add insult to injury the crew members changed their mind and ordered the family off the flight anyway. Even after the parents complied with the illegal request they were still threatened with arrest.
Except, it's not illegal and it's not against regulations. They don't recommend holding your child in your lap, but there's nothing against you being able to do so.
You should probably fact-check before spreading false information.
Solution: all airline seats should be sold like sports event tickets. You buy the ticket by the seat number, and that is your seat. No changing seats under any circumstances, without buying another ticket.
The only reason any airline should be allowed to remove a passenger from a seat that they have a ticket for, is if the passenger is causing a disturbance or interfering with the flight crew.
All children of any age should have a ticket for a seat and be in that seat, and young children should be in an approved car seat, either provided by the airline or by the parents. No child of any age should be allowed to sit on a parent's lap at anytime. Because that defies basic established safety procedures. That is not legal in a car, and it certainly shouldn't be legal on an aircraft.
Except, it's not illegal and it's not against regulations. They don't recommend holding your child in your lap, but there's nothing against you being able to do so.
You should probably fact-check before spreading false information.
Wrong. The crew members lied when they told the parents FAA regulations REQUIRES your 2 year old to sit in your lap. The parents complied with the crew's misinformed request, and still got kicked off the plane after being threatened with arrest.
The incompetent crew members issued an illegal order. It is against FAA regulations to fly with a child on your lap. You think passengers should comply with an illegal order?
No it isn't, not for under 2 yrs old. The infant was ticketed as a lap infant.
They had the option early on to take off holding the infant as ticketed. They should have taken that option when available rather than argue ten minutes.
Where the airline crew was wrong was when they said an infant under 2 cannot be in a seat at all even in a carrier but that was immaterial to the issue at hand and only applied to the father's statement that they would hold the infant until the plane was in the air then put the infant in the seat, after being told changing seats was allowed only after the plane was in the air.
He says he had to eat the cost of THREE tickets, one seat for him, one for his wife with the one-year-old on her lap, and the third seat that was originally for his older son that they wanted to use for their 2-year-old.
No it isn't, not for under 2 yrs old. The infant was ticketed as a lap infant.
They had the option early on to take off holding the infant as ticketed. They should have taken that option when available rather than argue ten minutes.
Where the airline crew was wrong was when they said an infant under 2 cannot be in a seat at all even in a carrier but that was immaterial to the issue at hand and only applied to the father's statement that they would hold the infant until the plane was in the air then put the infant in the seat, after being told changing seats was allowed only after the plane was in the air.
Maybe there was another passenger waiting to occupy vacant seat since the seat holder had taken another flight.
No it isn't, not for under 2 yrs old. The infant was ticketed as a lap infant.
They had the option early on to take off holding the infant as ticketed. They should have taken that option when available rather than argue ten minutes.
Where the airline crew was wrong was when they said an infant under 2 cannot be in a seat at all even in a carrier but that was immaterial to the issue at hand and only applied to the father's statement that they would hold the infant until the plane was in the air then put the infant in the seat, after being told changing seats was allowed only after the plane was in the air.
As I said in the thread I made about this, the way these incidents pile up, I'm reconsidering flying for a long time and I'd averaged a flight a year since my first flight.
So quick points to note (since there seem to be some posters who are confused):
1) The parents bought three seats, and were only trying to use three seats (the son had flown out on an earlier flight, so altogether, four seats were bought).
2) The parents were following what Delta's own website suggested, which is that while children under 2 could be on a parent's lap, that it was recommended for parents to purchase a seat for the child and use a car seat.
2.1) The FAA recommends that children be in car seats in their own seat, as well.
3) The crew told the husband that he and his wife would be jailed, and the kids would be taken away from them. This is absolutely disgusting behavior, and should get that crew member fired with no chance of being rehired by Delta. This was used as a threat - essentially, 'do what we say or we'll make sure your kids are taken away from you.'
4) The Delta crew wanted to double-sell the seat. They wanted the kid to be on a parent's lap so they could then allow someone else to sit in that seat. But the parents bought that seat - if they were forced to not use it, then they should have been issued a full refund.
5) The parents decided that instead of getting kicked off, they'd rather just comply, so they put the kid on one of their laps. The crew kicked them off anyway.
The parents didn't do anything wrong. The ONLY issue I can see is that the parents originally had only bought the three tickets, with the third ticket belonging to their older (I believe 18 years-old) child. They decided to fly the older child out on his own on an earlier flight (so they bought four tickets altogether). They did not transfer the third ticket into their 2 year-old's name - it was still in the name of the 18 year-old. However, they still paid for that seat, and therefore, if their 2 year-old wasn't in it, then it should have remained empty, or they should have been issued a full refund.
Delta screwed up.
There needs to be more regulation of airlines. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with double-booking, forcing people off flights to make room for others, etc. The only reason they're not more regulated is because they donate huge amounts of money to political campaigns. They also clearly don't spend enough time adequately training their crew members.
Where the airline crew was wrong was when they said an infant under 2 cannot be in a seat at all even in a carrier but that was immaterial to the issue at hand and only applied to the father's statement that they would hold the infant until the plane was in the air then put the infant in the seat, after being told changing seats was allowed only after the plane was in the air.
Immaterial? That was very material and central to the issue at hand. It was what the crew ordered the parents to do (to put the child in their lap), and the parents complied with it. And yet still got threatened and booted off the plane due to the vindictiveness and arrogance of the crew.
Either way flying is a nightmare in this country.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
