Autistic Toddler Kicked Off Airplane

[Jordyn]

Of course I wasn't there so I can't see exactly what happened but the part of the story I did hear on GMA seemed to suggest that the flight attendent just didn't feel like dealing with the child. I think it was discrimination against the child and I have little tolerance for that.

I have a 5 month old and I just traveled on a plane with him for the first time. My pediatrician suggested giving him baby benadril so that he would sleep on the plane. He wasn't saying it for the sake of my baby though. I got the sense he was informing me that if your baby crys you are gunna have to answer to a lot of very annoyed people, so you better put him to sleep.

I did give him benadril before the flight. He slept until we landed. I was so terrified of him crying and screaming. I've heard so many horrible stories like this where the child isn't exactly calm (because they are children) and the child and the mother get kicked off the plane.

The more I thought about it the more unfair it seemed that I should have to give my child cold medicine just so I won't bother anyone.

Kids my be small but they are people too. They need to travel they need to eat and sleep and breath just like adults do. People need to except that kids are gunna be antsy and they are gunna be scared or even bored on a plane. Adults even get scared on planes!!! They may know how to control it better than kids, but that doesn't mean the kid or the parent should be punished by people who obiously don't understand what a parent goes through to travel.

In this case where the child was autistic I think the crew should have done everything that they could to make the mom and the child feel comfortable.
I think the airline should apologise to the mother and the child and they should receive compensation for all the trouble they had to go through when they were simply trying to use a form of public trasporation to get where they needed to go.

[lena241]

I understand that this child was Autistic, but it must have been pretty bad for the pilot to decide to turn this plane around and de-board the mother and son. We can all comment about how unfair it was that this mother and son were kicked off the plane, but it all has to do with the safety and regulations. If this child was delaying the flight, and the arrival of 100 other passengers to their destination, I cant say I wouldnt have secretely prayed that the same thing would happen. Lets not forget that the mother is not innocent in this either. She refused to store a bag in the overhead. Regardless if it had things to calm him, those are the rules. I dont know when they have ever been different.

And what about a carseat? Sounds like he had his own seat on the plane. Why didnt he have a carseat that he could be strapped into. Screaming or not, the plane could have taken off, and he would have been restrained. This wouldnt have been an issue.

I have traveled by plane with my 2 year old, and have never expected anyone to ACCOMODATE my daughter and her mood. The fact that he is autistic, is just an excuse. I am shocked that it is ok for this mother to single out her sons disability for this situation, but what about in the future when he isnt able to do something because he IS autistic, such as attend a public school in a standard class. Should we then feel bad for her AGAIN? Should we allow him to disrubt and stop classes, because he is having a moment? Should my childs educations suffer, because he needs a 15 minute time out, before story time, or on a field trip?

I not a mean person, but this is simple. The fact is, he was an un-cooperative passanger. For the safety and security of the other passengers, these people are removed or not allowed on the aircraft. Just like the drunk, they refused to board at the gate, because he appeared intoxicated? Fair, it depends. If he was a happy drunk, does that mean that was inappropiate for him to be denied the right to board. I think not. Should he call ABC and start complaining?