Toddler's Family Kicked Off Plane Following Temper Tantrum

Most people who have flown have likely encountered, at some point, a screaming or crying child on a plane. Some passengers may express annoyance and frustration while others breathe a sigh of relief because their child is sitting quietly beside them. A few who can relate because they have been there and done that may even attempt to lend a helping hand to the frazzled parent. In most cases, passengers have had to, in one way or another, deal with the screaming child. Air Tran recently decided to handle things a little bit differently and their decision to remove a three year old girl and her family from a plane because she was throwing a tantrum has sparked some controversy.

Julie and Gerry Kulesza and their daughter Elly were scheduled to return to their home in Boston on January 14^th following a trip to Fort Meyers, Florida. Reportedly, when the family boarded the plane in Florida, their daughter got upset and refused to be strapped into her seat. Judy Graham-Weaver, spokesperson for the airline, reported that the child was "climbing under the seat, hitting the parents, and refusing to sit in her seat." The incident continued for fifteen minutes past the scheduled departure time and at that point, the crew and other airline personnel decided that the family needed to get off the flight so that it could continue as scheduled.

The child's parents claim that they did not have enough time to calm their child down. Julie Kulesza said, "We weren't given an opportunity to hold her, console her, or anything." The parents have also stated that their request to have their daughter sit in her mother's lap was denied. The airline reports that they denied the request due to FAA regulations which require all passengers over the age of two to be in their own seat and wearing a seatbelt when the plane takes off.

Air Tran refunded the cost of the family's tickets and offered to put them on another flight within 24 hours. They also offered to provide them with three round trip tickets that could be used anywhere the airline flies. The family refused the free tickets and stated that they would never fly with Air Tran again.