A California family claims they were forced off a flight — and warned with jail for the adults and “foster care” for the kids — for refusing to change a seat for their 2-year-old son, despite having paid for it, in the latest video-captured incident for a major airline.
Brian and Brittany Schear of Huntington Beach, California, expressed that they had already boarded a Delta Air Lines aircraft from Maui to Los Angeles on April 23 when they were forced off the plane after an incident with officials.
The Schears claimed they were then compelled to locate their own accommodation, transportation, and fresh tickets for the next day’s journey – all after midnight.
According to Brian Schear, the family booked a ticket for their teenage son on the red-eye trip but opted to send him home early so that their 2-year-old could have a seat on the plane. The couple was also traveling with their one-year-old child.
He stated that they informed the ticket agent about their condition at the gate, and that the employee made arrangements for the family to sit together.
Video: family with 2 young children booted from Delta flightDelta has apologized for kicking a family of four, including two young children, off the plane while on their way back home to California from Hawaii when they refused to give up a seat occupied by one of their children. Brian Schear says his 2-year-old son was sitting in the seat that he had originally purchased for his teenage son who took an earlier flight. Video courtesy: Brittany Schear Story: fox13news.com/news/252634782-story
Posted by FOX 13 News – Tampa Bay on Friday, May 5, 2017
Brian Schear claimed they got on the plane without problem, but because there were other travellers on the standby list for the flight, Delta employees informed him the 2-year-old had to give up his seat – and then threatened him with prison.
The event was made public on Thursday after a video of the dispute was released online by the family. Brittany Schear documented the events leading up to their ejection from the trip, including an airline or airport staff informing Brian that if he and his family did not cooperate, they would all be thrown from the plane.
Brian said they can take him off the plane as seen by the footage.
An airline staffer is heard saying that this is a federal violation. He and his wife may be imprisoned, and his children could be placed in foster care.
Schear cut him off by asking if they’re going to jail, and what will happen to his kids?
She explained, it’s a federal violation if they don’t follow it.
Schear explained that he purchased that seat. And they are saying they want to give that seat to someone else even though he had paid for it. That’s not correct.
Since Schear’s teenage son was not there and the ticket was in his name, the staff stated that the 2-year-old could not sit there and had to give up the seat.
Later in the video, another staff member stated that according to Federal Aviation Administration standards, a 2-year-old cannot sit in a seat or occupy a car seat and must sit on an adult’s lap.
Schear says that their son sat in a car seat, then in his own seat on the plane as they flew to Maui.
According to the FAA’s website, it “highly advises” parents to strap kids in an authorized child safety restraint device, or car seat, during their trip.
Brian Schear said that he and his family were not compensated for their troubles.
He said that the airlines never got back to them. And, to be honest, they didn’t contact them. This whole situation has made him so upset, and with the money he is spending on the tickets, he couldn’t care less.
Delta replied in a statement Thursday afternoon that they were “sorry for the awful experience” that the family experienced, and that they had contacted out to reimburse them.
“We are deeply sorry for our customers’ bad experiences with Delta, and we have reached out to them to reimburse their airfare and give further compensation,” the firm said in a statement. “Delta’s mission is to always collaborate with consumers to find answers to their travel problems. That did not occur in this instance, and we apologize.”
Brittany Schear expressed her displeasure that the staff had threatened them with imprisonment and the deportation of their kids.
“I’m not a confrontational person… and when you’re a mother with a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old and they threaten to take your kids away from you, whether that’s feasible or whether that’s against the law, it just made my heart drop,” she explained.
This new case arose only one week after United Airlines negotiated an unspecified deal with Dr. David Dao, the subject of the now-infamous video showing him being pulled from his seat and off a plane.
After the video going viral Delta Delta Airlines finally issues an apology and refunded the family.
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