AIBU to think cancelling the flight over a child was excessive

[MrsShawnHatosy]

An airline cancelled a flight because a child refused to sit down and put their seatbelt on. AIBU to think they should have asked the parents to get off, rather than cancelling the flight and stranding the rest of the passengers?

https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/news/flight-cancelled-passengers-stranded-due-37532204

Did you actually read the article you’ve linked?
Because it clearly explains why….

It says in the article, by the time the family were deboarded it would have been too late.

How annoying!!!!!!

They did get the parents removed but unfortunately by that time the crew were over their hours and could no longer fly.

From what I understand, they missed their slot for takeoff while they tried (and failed) to get the child to wear their seatbelt. I’m guessing no one was thrilled with the outcome but if they miss their takeoff slot then that’s that.

I was on a flight where this almost happened

The child was about 3 and so badly behaved - if it was mine, there would have been harsh words and she would have been physically restrained if I had to. This isn’t a ‘get into the trolley ‘ situation, other people’s lives, plans etc are all dependent on one child’s tantrum - madness

They simply ran out of time to fly by the time that they had unloaded the family and their checked luggage?

Parents need to parent. 🙄

I understand the child was scared rather than misbehaving, but surely you don’t take your child on a plane if they are that scared.

This needs to happen more and more and then eventually the airlines will take the next step of not pissing around when this type of thing occurs. Airline police board, ask them to get off the plane once. If they dont get off, physical restraint of parents and drag the whole family off.

Time to stop pandering to arseholes who effect everyone around them.

Why are you posting an article you havent even read properly? Embarrassing.

They did tell them to get off, but it's a long and convoluted process to deboard someone once the plane pushes back, its not like getting off the bus a stop early because your little darling is having a tantrum.

They did remove parent and child and to do so had to go back to the terminal and then they missed their slot. No others available so flight cancelled

There's lots of rules in aviation which, for obvious reasons, need to be strictly adhered to. Timings are often very tight, slots get missed, airports close up for the night, crew run out of hours. If they had taken off without the child wearing a seatbelt and it had been a rough take off causing the child to be injured, that would obviously had been very serious.

Simple fact is, this is not anyone elses problem. If the child reacts so badly, the PARENT is responsible for picking them up and walking off the plane so everyone else isnt effected.

Do you read only headlines? They did exactly what you suggested - telling the parents that they’ll have to get off - but by the time the plane was able to unboard them and their luggage, it was too late.

This is awful, I'd be so mad if I was stranded. To be honest I'd have much more sympathy with a little child experiencing overwhelm than with a drunk idiot starting a fight. That seems to happen often enough.

Exactly. I flew last week and people were being very loud during the safety demonstration.

The head of the crew team actually said that the plane wasn't going anywhere until they had got through the safety demonstration uninterrupted, they were at risk of missing the slot and the police would be called to remove them from the plane.

We did get off in time but people continued to be noisy and there were also adults who wouldn't sit down when the seatbelt light was on throughout the flight and on landing. Unbelievable.

A "child" could be a 6ft, 17 stone, mentally-impaired male. Remember Katie Prices son, Harvey? If he started throwing a wobbly, i doubt there's much anyone would be able to do about it.

It's not negotiable..child won't sit down and belt up 😉 then it's an offload.

Problem in the Canadian case wasn't crew hours, it was that they got clobbered by the airport night curfew.

It explains, they did remove the parents and child but by then it was beyond the maximum take off time for that airport

They should introduce personal liability for causing delays to flights, either by drunken behaviour, smoking on board, children's tantrums, or anything else, with individual(s) concerned becoming personally liable for the costs incurred by the airline and the other passengers.

The article says that the child was buckled in but would then slide out underneath.

I don't know why they weren't physically restrained to be honest. If a child is young and small enough that they can stand on the seat (per the article) then they're young and small enough that parents could link an arm each on either side and hold them in place with the seatbelt on.

I do think airlines should be able to heavily fine passengers (or their parents in this case) who disrupt a flight to the extent it's cancelled. It's incredibly expensive for all concerned, to say nothing of the disruption to other passengers.

The child is described as “young” and able to hide under their seat. So about 3 or 4, unlikely to be 6ft.

I'm sure it's been suggested and Ryanair have or are in the process of going through the courts for at least some of the costs associated with some diversions.

For context delays can cost in the hundreds if not thousands of £ a minute in some circumstances....

The plane had left the gate. You can't just get off.