Cryng child and her parents removed from flight.

Jan. 23, 2007 — Every parent has dealt with a child having a tantrum and causing embarrassment at the worst times — in a grocery store, in a restaurant, and at weddings.

For a Massachusetts mom and dad, however, their toddler's tantrum cost them their flight home.

On Jan. 14, 3-year-old Elly Kulesza and her parents, Julie and Gerald, were kicked off an AirTran Airways flight from Florida to their Worcester, Mass., home because Elly would not stop crying.

Elly, who had been a model passenger on the flight to Florida four days earlier, began to cry uncontrollably once she got on the plane, throwing a temper tantrum on the floor.

AirTran employees demanded that the Kuleszas calm down their child. When Elly didn't stop crying, the crew banned the Kuleszas from flying for 24 hours. Later, AirTran offered an apology to the family along with a refund on their tickets.

"As we have an obligation to the 112 other passengers onboard the flight to operate the flight on time," AirTran said in a statement, "we had to make an operational decision to ask the Kulesza party to deplane so the flight could depart."


Passengers Sympathetic, Unlike Crew, Parents Say

On "Good Morning America," the Kuleszas insisted that their toddler wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary.

"I don't know what happened. No one can tell when something like this is going to happen. She had a great morning, but then she got on the plane and she started to cry," Julie Kulesza said.

"She's like the typical 3-year-old. She has her moments, but overall she's a very, very good child."

The Kuleszas said that unlike the AirTran crew, the passengers on the flight were sympathetic to their situation.

"I jokingly turned around and asked the three gentlemen behind me, 'Aren't you glad you got these seats?" Julie said. "Another passenger offered up a lollipop to try and calm her down."

Despite AirTran's apology and offer of a complimentary flight, the Kuleszas don't plan to fly with the airline anytime soon.

"We'll pass on that," Gerald Kulesza said. "After that, I told them I'd never fly with them again."

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wow! that is way harsh to kick them off the flight. babies cry.

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I am going to play devils advocate here....

What happened if the reason the child was crying was something serious....like a sickness. Would it be better to have her in a plane in the air, in pain, than on the ground where she can be cared for by a doctor??

I see where the parents are coming from...that she is just a "typical" 3 y/o but honestly, it would annoy the $hit out of me to hear a kid cry and carry on like what they described for a whole plane ride....

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As someone who once was a screaming toddler on a 1984 flight from New York to Tampa due to an unknown ear infection, I can sypathize with these people.

My poor mother was horrified and so upset because people were SCREAMING at her to "shut that damn kid UP"

Message edited 1/23/2007 12:24:31 PM.

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I feel bad for them but if the parents couldnt get the girl in her seat with a seat belt on the crew had no choice but to ask them to deplane.

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I understand both sides.

Kids are KIDS. They cry they scream they jump up and down.

I have to admit when im on a plane if a KID cried the ENTIRE RIDE HOME i'd be annoyed

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The article said the child was throwing a tantrum on the floor.

If the child would not get off the floor & the paretns couldn't get her off the floor, then the plan can't take off, b/c everyone needs to be seated & buckled in. If that was reason they asked them to leave, instead of delaying the flight, I can understand it.

Message edited 1/23/2007 12:26:29 PM.

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Posted by Kate07

As someone who once was a screaming toddler on a 1984 flight from New York to Tamps due to an unknown ear infection, I can sypathize with these people.

My poor mother was horrified and so upset because people were SCREAMING at her to "shut that damn kid UP"[/QUOTE

I have to say, with the cost flying these days, I would really be aggravated if I was on a flight with a screaming/crying child for two to three hours...I don't have children though, so it's hard for me to relate.

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How long did they give them to calm down the child? A 3 year old doesn't usually take more than 10-20 minutes. I think I would've just dealt with it.

Sends a big message to parents. I don't know that I'd choose to fly that airline anytime soon and my kids are relatively well behaved.

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This is one of my pet peeves!! On the way home from san diego we had not one but TWO children (not babies) that were having a tantrum the WHOLE time back.

I am not a parent, so once again it is easy for me to say. We just dealt with it but I couldn't believe this child wasn't exhausted after 5 hours of crying. This was not do to a medical condition, this was the perfect example of spoiled kids.

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My last flight was on American...Very positive experience, but we were delayed leaving because one family would not buckle in their child who kept squirming and refused to sit in the seat. He kept standing up, running out into the aisle...And the parents did nothing to help the attendants to get him to sit down and settle down. On the way there, a child of about that age kicked my seat THE ENTIRE TIME.

I'm one passenger who would pay more to be on a plane without anyone under 12 on it.

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Honestly it sounds like the parents are sugar coating the child's behavior. They said they asked them to deplane so that the plane could take off on time. Clearly the tantrum was bad enough that the plane wouldnt have been able to leave. That doesnt sound like a 3 year old who is just crying.

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As a parent TERRIFIED of being in that situation, but also resigned to the fact that one day it WILL happen, I am horrified.

Yes, I still get annoyed when kids cry on my flight (when I am flying for business reasons--beeyotchy? yes, but I am being honest) but cmon it happens...anyone travelling knows that...to deny them flying for 24 hours, that's just awful.

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i had my far share with kryssy on flights crying almost the whole way home from florida, stuck in the middle seat, i know some passengers where not happy but i did not get kicked off the flight, that is just rediculous

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I am a mother myself and of course I would have been extremely annoyed and upset if asked to get off the plane because my child was throwing a tantrum on the floor of the plane. I mean, kids are kids.

However, there are a few things that should be taken into consideration here.

Fist, if she was on the floor kicking and crying, means she was NOT in her seat, buckled in as she would have been.

Secondly, it is one thing when child cries for a while and it happens to everyone but a fulll blown tantrum on the floor. ..? The parents should know how do deal with that! there are some very affective methods that should be implemented as soon as it starts. Clearly, if they couln't control it and it lasted for so long, it is just a case of as spoiled child. So, I say the airline did the right thing!

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as the mother of a three year old, i'd be PIZZED to no end if i was asked to deplane because my child was crying!!!! I'm a paying passenger too, AS WELL as my toddler!!!
on the flip side, the article states that the child was "crying uncontrollably" and threw "a temper tantrum on the floor" - well, how long did that last? did they give the parents time to try and calm her down? how long did it take for the crew to decide to ask the family to deplane? if the parents got her into her seat, and she was safely belted in, but was still "crying uncontrollably", as HORRIBLE of a flight it would have been for EVERYONE, they should have been allowed to continue on their flight. period.

Message edited 1/23/2007 12:40:13 PM.

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Message edited 1/23/2007 12:45:15 PM.

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it's incompletel information.

How long did it go on? Why was it such that they couldn't take off? Surely arilines are used to dealing with fussy children. So it's one of two things
1) the airline seriously over-reacting for no apparent reason
2) The child was so disruptive that they could not safely take off.

if it's #2, then I agree, they should have been kicked off the flight, for example if half an hour had gone by and the child would not be strapped into the seat for takeoff... that's just a safety issue. I don't know why they would have to be banned from flying for 24 hours though.

My FMIL was kicked off a plane once. She gets very nervous on planes and she was shaking, sweating, etc. the airline found this suspicious and kicked her off the plane!

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Message edited 1/23/2007 1:03:10 PM.