Mom and Toddler kicked off from Continental ExpressJet FLight
Kate Penfield and her 19 month-old son Garren were kicked out from their Houston to Atlanta Continental ExpressJet flight last month after the flight attendant got upset when the toddler kept on repeating "Bye, bye plane" while she was reviewing the flight safety instructions.
Obviously pissed with toddler, the flight attendant told Penland "You need to shut your baby up" and suggested to give her son a "Baby Benadryl" to let him fall asleep. The mother declined to do what the flight attendant suggested which ensued a longer discussion.
Fellow passengers who witnessed the discussion said that the flight attendant "arrogantly" said that they were going back to the gate and that Penland "If you do not leave the aircraft voluntarily – the authorities have been called – the police will come and remove you from the plane."
In response to the incident, ExpressJet said that "if a passenger undermines a crew member's "authority as the person responsible for safety" on board, they may be removed from the aircraft."
Blame it on exhaustion or a bad day, but the flight attendant was surely out-of-line. Firstly, it's a toddler you're dealing with, they will scream, throw a tantrum if they want, and you can hardly do anything to stop it. Getting pissed off will do you no good. And secondly, suggest a "Baby Benadryl"? I would've shot to the roof if someone suggested that to me. Thank god the airline that we normally take is so child-friendly that even before the plane Taxis they already give out kits to children to keep them occupied and the flight attendants never fails to ask regularly if everything is well.
October 16th, 2007 at 7:52 am
This FA needs to be fired. She is an absolute idiot. Was she having a bad day because a pilot didn’t marry her? I think when it comes to brains many of the AA and Continental airline FAS don’t quite cut it. I know these lines have some good FAs, but I have met idiots on both lines and am so turned off by their arrogance, pettiness and overwhelming stupidity that I will never fly their lines again. This is an idiot.
December 27th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I’ve been on one of the major airlines and the flight attended acted like she owned the place. She became hysterical on me because I wouldn’t respond to her angry choice of words and finally looked at her and said please move on. She threatened as well. I find that strange since I am a paying law abiding customer. Unfair and to me unethical.