buongiorno

On a Florida to Boston flight, Airtran asked a couple and small child to exit the plane before takeoff because their 3 year old was throwing a tantrum and wouldn't behave. I don't think it's unreasonable for the airline to have done that given the disruption to the other passengers.

NeoPatrick

I wonder if a simple spanking would have helped?

sylvia3

hitting a crying kid rarely gets positive results.

bugswife1

What ever happened to 'the look'. If I ever behaved like that I got one look from my Mom that said it all. Shut me up immediately. : - )

NeoPatrick

sylvia, my comment referred to the long-winded discussion about spanking on another thread.

clueless

Good for Airtran.

My mother gave me the look too and it worked.

placeu2

Good for Airtran!

bugswife1: I suspect that the look only works when the child has experienced the consequences. IMHO there are too many parents of kids who have never disciplined their children so the "look" is as bad as it gets.

Before anybody gets too excited...I am not advocating heavy corporal punishment of any kids. My kids grew up with an arm squeeze for misbehaving in church, a swat on the bottom at home on a rare occasion after time outs wore out.

clueless

Place,

Your right. The look does no good unless it was backed up in the past.

canterbury

Bravo AirTran! That tantrum could've lasted the whole flight if the parents couldn't get the kid under control.

It certainly was hard on the parents and we don't know the whole story. It must have been a monumental scene to have booted them off the plane, though.

kureiff

My daughter's almost three and just started throwing temper tantrums a few weeks ago. The tantrums are *always* over something truly important: how the toast was cut, whether a door should be opened or closed, etc.

I'm not convinced the "look" works with irrational little despots. We don't give in to the tantrums, and we try to remove her from the situation but you do have to kind of ride the tantrum out, so to speak.

I'm so glad it wasn't me. Poor parents, poor passengers.

joan

Neo

nytraveler

Well - we don;t know the whole story - time of day, what else the kid had been doing all day, had s/he been stuffed with sugar etc.

But - just with the info we hve - it sounds like the parents are finally reaping the results of refusing to properly care for their child (either discipline - and I don;t believe in spanking, other methods work just as well - or considering the childs needs/capabilities).

Gekko

Well done Airtran!


No one has a "right" to fly.

JayZee

Someone with AirTran did the right thing! It's about time airlines provide an appropriate environment to a "captive audience".

msjames

2 questions -- first, does "the look" work on a 3 year old or is that still too young?

And second, I know this was probably humiliating for the family, but was there applause on the plane when the family was asked to leave?

wyatt92

Actually, I think they were asked to leave the flight because the child would not sit in her seat to allow for takeoff. This was causing quite a delay and they really wanted to get the plane of the ground. I don't think they would have asked the family to leave if the girl had just been crying or screaming.

wtm003

<<I'm not convinced the "look" works with irrational little despots.>>

Kureiff, I completely agree - the look does not work with 3 year olds. I remember those toast incidents. Good luck and hang in there!

Wyatt92, thanks for the additional info. That makes more sense.

Kansan

I wonder if the family was allowed to fly a later flight when the child calmed down?

Children that age often have tantrums, usually because their language skills aren't adequate to communicate their feelings. I remember many a time mine would cry and pitch/toss without reason, only to throw up or spike a fever a few minutes later. He could have been miserable the entire flight, along with his fellow passengers.

Good call for the airline.

trippinkpj

I was on a flight once with a tantrum throwing child. It was a long flight. Finally they distracted him (I think it was the flight attendant) with a deck of cards. LOL.

marilynl

Can certainly understand, especially if the parents were incapable of making the child sit in seat. This reminds me of a woman I met at a dinner party years ago, who said she hadn't been able to make her 2-year-old remain in his carseat, so she had to let him ride in just a seatbelt! Excuse me, but who is driving the vehicle?

Going through security in Fort Lauderdale last week, a mother had a hard time convincing her small son to take off his shoes, and even when he had, the child ran back out to the other side. Luckily, it was not busy, so there was time for a grandfatherly man in line to persuade the little boy to be carried back through--no threats, crying, etc., needed.