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

Perhaps cabin crew need to act swiftly and give it 5 minutes maximum for an issue to be resolved before booting people and their luggage off a flight. Whether it be a drunk or a disruptive child, it doesn't matter. I feel so sorry for the hundreds of people this will have impacted.

So, all these parents who know they could never ever possibly be in this situation, tell me exactly what the parents should have done to deal with a terrified 3yo, after the plane had started moving?

Step by step instructions that would have made the child sit still and prevented them getting out of the seatbelt, all while strapped into your own seat, please.

It probably didn't help it was after a long delay. Tired cranky child having a tantrum.

The parents are probably really upset too but I just don't know how you get a tired cranky child to sit nicely. In a car its tickle their belly they fold you strap them in. Its just not that easy with a lap belt.

Well, in this case not having them cost the airline and other passengers a lot of wasted time and money.

When my older one was small, I always took one of those harnesses with reins onto a plane so I could secure him properly in the seat but it did involve having to loop it behind the bottom of the back of the seat, momentarily annoying the person sitting there. It would be much easier if airlines could provide something properly designed for their seats, given that over 2s need to sit in their own seats and they already offer extension seatbeats for babies. Wouldn't need to be anything fancy. It would also be better for all the other passengers as it's frustrating having your flight disturbed by small children wriggling free and running up and down the aisles. Toddlers tend just to settle down into car seats because they know they can't get out of them and it's much more peaceful for everyone.

I've been on a special flight with children with SEND over 20 times and never ever has it had to be cancelled because of the behaviour (or otherwise) of the children. It is perfectly possible to parent children with SEND and get what needs to be done done. This includes severely autistic children on a 2:1 care basis multiple times.

This is a parenting issue not a SEND issue.

Airline seat belts are designed to be quick release so you can get out quickly in an emergency though. Their purpose is to prevent you being bounced out of your seat if the flight is bumpy, they're not going to help you in a crash, like car seat belts do.

My eldest was a devil for refusing to be buckled in especially to car seats. But we had places to go and deadlines to hit so I found a way to make it happen. She was go stiff as a board, full body rigid to avoid being strapped in. I discovered she had an incredibly sensitive place to tickle her and she'd collapse into fits of giggles. I'd strap her in once floppy and tickle her to distract her then we'd be on our way and everyone was happy. Now a teenager it's clear she is autistic but she isn't interested in a diagnosis. However I found ways to make things happen and these parents should have done so too.

I don't disagree. But this makes it a parenting problem not everyone else's problem.

5 point harnesses are often designed to be released by pressing a single button. Personally I find releasing the harness on my child's car seat equally as quick as undoing an airline seatbelt. It would be fairly easy to come up with something that would keep small children secured in their seats, and then everyone's lives would be easier.

Releasing it may be quick, getting the child out of it isn't.

Matthew & Emily Farnham in Brookside (if you're old enough) died through playing up in a car

That's fine in a car seat. Once they are in they are in.
Its a bit more difficult in a plane seat belt, which isn't really designed with a wriggly toddler in mind. If the child is sliding under it or climbing out of it.

I do think their is a place for some sort of seat liner / multi point harness that can be used for a wriggly child

Well what do you know? No one? Fancy that 😆

That's fine in a car seat. Once they are in they are in.
Its a bit more difficult in a plane seat belt, which isn't really designed with a wriggly toddler in mind. If the child is sliding under it or climbing out of it.

I do think their is a place for some sort of seat liner / multi point harness that can be used for a small wriggly child.
This can't be the first time a flight has been delayed because of a small child.

Disruptive behaviour on a flight is an offence, clearly listed in airline policy and the law. It is there for the safety of hundreds of people.
And many of the other passengers may have missed important events, weddings, business meetings, getting home to a dying loved one, missed accommodation. This is not trivial, it is huge.
All involved should be banned from flying for a very long time, and all the adults fined.

Well if they can't make their 3 yr old sit down still then what they going to do when said child is 10, 11 weighing 4 stone and announces he is not going to school Then as a 14 15 yr old announces he is going out with his mates at 1am taking mum or dad's bottle of vodka or whatever.
Absolute parenting fail imo, sorry.

Patent should have held the bloody child down and restrained them. They should be banned too. Selfish people.

The incident flight pushed back a shade over 30 minutes behind schedule, so there wasn't really a long delay involved, well not until things started happening after pushback.

The parents must have chosen that flight, which seems to be the last one of the night out of Victoria.

So what exactly would have done? Share your parenting expertise please.

I don't think the airline would have been satisfied with that. Unless you mean tied the child down, otherwise having a child on your lap would be the same thing as having them strapped in.

Err can you not see the flaw in that? You must do surely.

Are you including the crew who couldn't get him safely strapped in?

They exist, e.g.the CARE harness..

Problem here is do you want the airline to supply them/cart an unknown number around on every flight, just in case, or should parents of children likely to benefit from them go out and buy something suitable?

FWIW I flew airliners around for 30 plus years, have seen/heard about the odd small drama with toddlers but it was always resolved with nil or minimal delay..

The Porter/Victoria cancellation is definitely an outlier and so I can't see there's a financial case for the industry to be buying and carrying toddler harnesses in bulk.

Child in reins, the seatbelt threaded through the back and tightened through so they cant slide, move far or undo. Secured child. A couple of sets of reins could be kept on board for inept parents who haven't had any forethought.
Although drunk adults are far bigger a problem and no airport should sell or allow drinking before/during flights.

Airlines will already need an unknown number of extra seat belt extrnders for overweight adults... a more secure harness for toddlers is just as valid.