Flying is not a right but when you pay for a service I believe you are owed some level of customer service. They chose to give their money to that company. I do not know the terms and conditions of the transaction- I am sure there is a ton of fine print. Like I said, I think that it's a bit too wishy washy to let such drastic measures be taken (police escort??) for something like this.

I don't get the use of the term "threatening behavior." Unsafe and disruptive, yes. But, threatening?

They should have done a better job keeping their kids in check. I don't understand how on the news' clip it says that the airline wouldn't let them continue on "at that time." Were they going to let them take a later connection or make arrangements for them on another airline or was the family really stranded? Just curious.

Beth

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ds #1 6/02 and ds #2 12/07

They said the were.. I don't know the actual details.. I almost NEVER carry cash- but we have an emergency credit card for crap like this.. I couldn't imagine being stuck somewhere with Kenzie and having NO money to do anything about it.. YIKES!

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I really wish I could hear from some of the other passengers. I cant vote cause I just cant decide with so little of the facts.

I really think that if you cannot keep your kids in their seat then you should not fly with them. Be they special or not... Cry all you want but your not getting out of your seat! I'm not sure what was really said to these people...Like did they tell them "you need to keep your kids in their seats."?

It does seem that they (the passengers) are enjoying the attention. I do not think they deserve "compensation". Maybe a refund of their tickets...maybe.

I really cant imagine why they would need a police escort...that seems over the top!

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Patty 37
DW Julie 40
"domestically partnered" since 1994

do I think SWA over reacted....ABSOLUTELY!!! I spent 10 years traveling for work and flying 3-6 times a month when necessary. I have seen drunks do worse than just walk up and down aisles and they were never asked to do anything and they certainly were not forbidden to board their next flight (I had the joy a few times of being on the same flights). The absolute worst patrons for the airlines have to be teenagers who are just plain rude and disrespectful of just about everyone on the flight. I flew with Hadleigh to Palm Beach from Albany NY with kids heading to spring break who were out of control. We had a stop in Charlotte and all of those kids should have been left stranded!!! Can you tell I am still angry....LOL!!!

I have seen the video and that woman, who is overweight, probably could not walk the aisles to get her children. Once they escaped it was all over. I am overweight and have issues with some airline aisles as well. I am not sure if SW offered her help or not but to just leave them stranded is ridiculous. Okay...off my soapbox.

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Co-Host JAB April 2005

Hadleigh and her latest boy toy!!!

Wow, just when I thought the board was getting a little slow yesterday, look what I missed!

This is one of those situations where I'd have to be there to witness it in order to form an opinion. Someone is overreacting here, and it's either the mother or the airline.

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Heather (36)
(DH) Mat (39)
TTC for 3 years, 1 m/c at 13 wks
dx Severe MF-IVF w/ICSI needed
Pregnant after 5 cycles of IVF
Brooke Mary Elizabeth was born 11/12/07
IVF #6 an FET -TTC # 2 - 2 Frozen embabies implanted. BFP!
Brody Mathew is coming January 20, 2009

I agree, Heather. I think it is really hard to figure out who overreacted since we didn't hear from any other people in the plane. Suzanne, did they interview anyone else on TV or radio up there? I'd love to know what the other passengers are saying about it.

Beth

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ds #1 6/02 and ds #2 12/07

No, they have only shown the interview with the mother and sister and father (?)

I was on a flight once from Chicago to Seattle and there was this drunk guy near the back of the plane. He kept hitting this lady on the head in front of him, just messing with her. She kept asking him to stop and his dumb drunk butt kept doing it. The flight attendants managed to move him to where he wasn't bugging anyone, but then he started harrassing them. I am not sure exactly what it was that he said to the flight attendant, but because it was "threatening", they landed in Non-SWA territory (Great Falls, MT) and in this teeny tiny little airport waiting for us, were all sorts of police cars, federal agents and even a fire truck and ambulance. This man was escorted off the plane by federal agents due to his harrassing the flight crew. SWA seems to be notorious for escorting problems off their airplanes...

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I personally think it's great that SWA escorts problems off their planes. Makes me that much more likely to fly with them! I've always liked SWA (their safety speech at the beginning of the flight is funny!) for a variety of reasons, and I'll just add this to the list.

Like Tami, I spent a few years flying weekly for work (I was a consultant - big fun!). Granted, most of this was pre-9/11, so the airlines weren't quite as strict, but I have been on a few flights where people were escorted off. The whole plane would either cheer or breathe a collective sigh of relief when it happened. Likewise, my best friend's father was banned from a certain airline FOR LIFE for acting a fool on a flight.

I guess I have a hard time believing the airline overreacted because of all the stories that even you guys have shared. If they're willing to let lots of this stuff go, I just imagine this family's behavior had to be totally over the top and out-of-control. But I could be wrong...it happened one other time!

Interestingly, this seems to be the only place where I'm in the minority of thinking the airline was wrong. Every other message board, article, what-not I read about this, about 90% of respondents think the airline was right! You are all much nicer people than the rest of the world! LOL

Amy

Well, while I said that I think they were wrong, I DO say that there should be some accountability; as in, they needed to be TOLD that they needed to get their children safe or they would not be allowed back on, or compensated, or offfered another flight. I'm with Tami on this, if I pay for a service I expect to get it or my money back. With food, gas, service, etc.. I don't think b/c we are 30000 miles in the air that this changes. They DO have the right to refuse services to anyone, but they don't have a right to take their money and run Obviously this is a grey area, since the *airline can't fill the seats at the last minute* but if I go to a restaurant and they get my food wrong, I will return it and expect them to get it right, and if they can't they will return my money. They cannot resell that food. But they will not be charging me for it. Obviously not the *same* situation, but the only example I can think of.

On another note It can be far cheaper to fly these days, than to drive, so to say that if they had the money to fly, then they should have the money for an emergency, is not nec. true. Do you know that if I wanted a NON-STOP flight from here in MT to PhX, AZ airport on the 4th of July, it would have cost me only $31 for my ENTIRE family, one way?? That's with the service fees included. There is no way on this planet we could even make it out of MT with our van with that, gas, alone would have cost more, not to mention places to stay on the way and food to eat!

I think both sides are overreacting, but I would be upset, too. When I first read the article, I didn't get the part where the mom said that the kids were *out of control* and I'm sure many others didn't either, and it will become a stupid lawsuit, rather than an apology and their 2nd half of their flight money back. I still wonder why they didn't interview any of the SWA passengers...could be b/c the bent of the story would be turned??

BTW, Amy, I've only ever flown on SWA before, I thought the *speech* was universal...I think it's funny, and last time we had a...uh...feminine man...doing the movements and it was absolutely hilarious, it was all I could do not to LOL while they were doing it!! WE've never had any problems with them, I'm sure this was not the norm.