Readers respond to family kicked off plane

An airline this week defended its decision to remove a Massachusetts couple from a flight after their crying three-year-old daughter refused to take her seat before takeoff.

Do you think the crew's actions were too harsh, or do you agree with the airline?

We asked you, our readers, to   share your thoughts. Below are some of your responses.

A lesson for parents
I completely agree with the crew/airline's decision and I hope its a lesson to these parents and to others that they should teach their children to behave better. Most children throw the occasional tantrum but children who are climbing under seats, hitting parents, etc. sound like they need more discipline and less "consoling."  They already delayed the flight 15 minutes and it isn't fair for the other 112 passengers to be delayed [and] perhaps miss connecting flights due to one bratty child. ...   Read the full entry

Sedatives are a lifesaver
I totally agree with the airline.  I've traveled with young children under the worst of conditions — racing to a dying parent's bedside in Europe. Even with only minutes to prepare for that 7-hour flight I still managed to get my toddler in order — I did what every sensible parent does — I picked up a bottle of Benadryl at the airport pharmacy and poured some down her throat!  Knocked her out for the painful boarding and takeoff process — no parent wants their child screaming in pain from the drop in air pressure.  Benadryl is a lifesaver.  And kinder ...   Read the full entry

Forget people, it's about money
I disagree with the crew's decision, and it was the crew's not the airline's, to remove the family. They should have been given the extra time to calm the child down to get her into her seat, or in the alternative, let the mother hold her in her lap. Let's be clear that the airline chooses to charge a full fare for children 2 and up not because of safety considerations, but because of the mighty dollar! ...   Read the full entry

Stop the coddling
This country is raising a generation of overly protected and coddled children. Nowadays it is the tail wagging the dog. What would have happened 39 years ago if I had acted like that in public? I'll tell you. I wouldn't have been able to sit down anywhere comfortably for a while, my bottom would have been so sore! The crew was ABSOLUTELY correct to remove this family from the plane. 3 year olds do not have mature reasoning skills. There was not, at any point going to be a reasonable amount of time to calm her without further delaying  the other passengers flights and schedules. ...   Read the full entry

Politically correct: Is it discipline or abuse?
Stow kids in overhead storage bins so they won't disturb the passengers .... a great socialist PC answer ... like putting a Band-Aid on a cancerous sore ... and never dealing with the root of the problem. Maybe they should discipline their children so they would obey their parents in public. The PC crowd says don't you dare spank a child. Everything is classified child abuse now. Give them a time-out with their toys. So what is the result? ...   Read the full entry

Behave — or ban them
About time!  I get so tired of parents who have no clue on discipline and let their little brats annoy everyone around them.  More businesses should either ban children or require they behave.  Parents — pull you heads out of your hind regions and get a grip on the little scudders.  Teach them that they have to earn "rights", they are not entitled to them. ...   Read the full entry

Girl gone wild
I have 7 kids and I think one of the flight attendants should have reached over and knocked the heck out of that child mother and father. Too bad people get arrested for that nowadays But the point I'm trying to make is if parents can't control that child at age three can you imagine her 12 years from now? Let me paint you all a picture: Girls Gone Wild! ...   Read the full entry

It's in the attitude
As a parent of a two-year-old, I still have to agree that the flight leaving without the family was the best option. However, it does sound like the crew was overboard in the manner in which they "deplaned" the family. If my [child] were having a fit and causing the plane to be delayed and a flight attendant gently asked me if I would "prefer" to take a later flight, I would have agreed and left the plane with my toddler. Also, just because a child is having a tantrum, it doesn't mean they are not well-disciplined. ...   Read the full entry

Give them a medal
The flight crew should be given an award for their resolution to the problem. If the responsible parties (parents) were unable to bring an end to the difficulty their child presented, the responsibility for achieving a resolution to the problem fell to the crew — which behaved admirably. As for the child's behavior, it is symptomatic of something; and, it reflects badly upon the parents. If the father's comment regarding never flying with that carrier again are any indication, it would appear that the reflection was justified: The child was behaving in a manner consistent with their environment at home. ...   Read the full entry

Give parents the benefit of the doubt
Some of you are entirely too harsh. The article doesn't say that the plane was delayed 15 minutes because of this situation. The airlines make people wait all the time for reasons that they fail to even explain. Traveling is stressful for everyone especially children who at three, can't always verbalize what they are feeling. And for those of you who blame the parents, get real. Parents can't control their children all the time. ...   Read the full entry

Relinquishing responsibility
As a flight attendant and a mother, I don't know what parents are thinking these days!  Parents seem to feel that the cabin of an aircraft is an extension of their home and their children should act as they would at home. Unruly children have caused flight attendants to risk their own safety during takeoff or landing because they refuse to sit with their seatbelts securely fastened and because parents relinquish the responsibility to the flight attendants. ...   Read the full entry

Flying is a privilege
Being both a regular traveler and a father I understand both sides of this argument but the fact is that the parents are completely responsible for making sure their children do what's necessary. Remember, flying isn't a right, it's a privilege. Yes the parents paid for the seats, but they were also reimbursed the full fare they paid for all the seats. And they were offered round trip tickets anywhere the airline flew as part of the compensation, but the truth is the rules are the rules and while planes do get delayed, they shouldn't be delayed because of a three-year-old child refusing to behave and sit in their seat. ...   Read the full entry

Misbehaving is a child's job
How dare you ignorant, insensitive clods sit on your pedestals and blame parents for the behavior of a three-year-old! Any flight delay is annoying; as adults, we have learned that delays are temporary. We may not like them, but we make the best of them. This child is three. Misbehaving occasionally is her job. Anyone with children knows that. A child's world revolves around herself. ...   Read the full entry

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