Continental Airlines Boots Mom Off Flight Because Her Toddler Won't Shut His Piehole

Sonic terrorism. Although it sounds like the head stewardress went power-tripping, and Continental is going to have to apologize.

If she decides to sue, this is going to be powerful evidence in her favor:

Penland and her 20-month-old son, Garren, were on their way from Atlanta to Oklahoma City on June 16 to visit Penland's father for Father's Day. Weather delays forced them to sit in Houston's airport for 11 hours.

When the flight finally left the gate late that Saturday night, Penland said Garren was talking about it, happily, along with all the adults on board.

"He's saying, 'Bye, bye, airplane' to the plane out the window. And that's what he was doing, he wasn't screaming or throwing a fit, just, 'Bye, Bye, airplane.'"

Penland said a flight attendant told her to get Garren to stop talking.

Immediately.

"She leaned over the gentleman beside me and, ah, said, 'Okay, it's not funny anymore, you need to shut your baby up.' And, you know, my first reaction was she had to be kidding. So, I asked her, you know, 'Are you kidding?' And she said, no, she was tired, she'd been stranded at the airport all day, and she did not want to hear it."

Penland said she replied that Garren would probably be asleep by the time the plane lifted off.

"I said, 'Well, he's been here at the airport for eleven hours, stuck in a stroller, you know, you should be lucky he's not screaming his head off.' And she said, 'Well, it's called Baby Benedryl.' [She made] just a little, you know, drinking motion, and I thought she's got to be kidding me. And I told her, 'I'm not going to drug my baby so that you'll have a pleasant flight.'"

Penland said the plane was small and other passengers could see and hear her and the flight attendant clearly. Penland said the passengers began speaking up for her, telling the flight attendant they were not disturbed by Garren's talking and that the flight to Oklahoma City from Houston was only one hour, anyway.

"It was ludicrous," [said] one of the passengers,,,

Penland said the flight attendant then addressed all the passengers.

"She put her hand on her hip and informed everyone that it was her plane and she was not going to listen to it. And she then went to the flight attendant station, was there for a few minutes, came back and informed the cabin that we were turning around. And she looked at me and said, 'You and your baby are getting off the plane.' And we did, we turned around and security came and escorted my child and me off the plane."

The flight attendant says the mom threatened her, but a nearby passenger says he heard nothing of the sort.

"Threatened her domineering authority" seems to be more likely.

posted by Ace at 04:24 PM

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