Picture this: you are on an airplane preparing for takeoff with your two-year-old son - who won't stop screaming. It could be because he's scared of the loud noises the engines are making, he's hungry or he would just rather walk up and down the aisle than be strapped into a seat against his will. Just when you think that airline stewardess is approaching you to offer some assistance or lead you to the back of the plane where your child can calm down, she informs you that you must get off the plane.
Pamela Root and her two-year-old son, Adam, were booted off a San Jose-bound flight leaving from Amarillo, Texas when the Southwest Airlines crew claimed passengers could not hear the pre-flight safety announcements. According to the New York Daily News, Root says that she was "confident that Adam's screams of 'Go! Plane! Go!' and 'I want Daddy!' would subside after the plane took off." As a result of being kicked off the plane, Root said she wanted to be compensated for the portable crib and diapers that she had to buy for the extra night of being away from home.
Despite an apology from a spokesman at Southwest Airlines and a promise of a refund and a $300 travel voucher, an MSNBC poll revealed that a whopping 76.6 percent of people agreed with Southwest's decision to kick Root and her cranky son off the plane. To those 89,293 people who voted, if you're not parents already and are considering having children, I sincerely hope you rethink your decision.
As a veteran baby sitter with more than 10 years of experience, I by no means consider myself to be the next Super Nanny, but I do consider Southwest kicking a mother and her son off a flight for yelling "Go! Plane! Go!" outrageous.
Coming from experience, there is nothing more uncomfortable than when your child (or in my case, baby-sitting charge) decides to have a meltdown in a public place. But the worst part about these temper tantrums is not the child who is throwing the fit, but rather the insensitive individuals giving you dirty looks and glares insinuating that you're an unfit caretaker.
Was Southwest seriously supposed to punish a two-year-old for acting his age? Sure, passengers were probably peeved that this child was being noisy, but that's when you put in your earphones and tune the kid out. Voters in the poll claimed that they pay good money to have a pleasant and comfortable flight experience - free of inconvenience. But to be honest, I feel inconvenienced when the man next to me continues to jab his elbow into my personal space, or the preteen behind me kicks my seat, or the woman in front of me is downing her third bloody mary and can't control the volume of her voice. But if I wanted a flight free of these annoyances, I would have booked a first class trip or private jet, not Southwest economy/coach.
Flying on an airplane is no different than any other mode of public transportation. Everyone wants a peaceful travel experience, but taking a Greyhound bus with a fussy child is the same as being 37,000 feet in the air with them. Root paid for her airplane ticket and has the right to be treated fairly. More than likely, the child's tantrum would have eventually stopped (as most usually do) and passengers could have enjoyed their flight. Instead of forcing her off the plane, the airline crew should have been more sensitive to Root's situation. They could have brought her child to the back of the plane while waiting for his tantrum to subside, or offered another solution. While it is not common for mothers and their children to be escorted off a plane, it is perfectly common for a two-year-old to have a temper tantrum. No one likes to be in the company of a rowdy toddler, but determining how a young child will behave on an airplane is difficult. In any type of work situation, individuals should keep in mind that they are human beings first and professionals second.
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