Canadian Singer Says Fussy Child Got Her Kicked Off United Flight From San Francisco To Vancouver
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- A Canadian singer says United Airlines kicked her off a flight from San Francisco to Vancouver because her young son was throwing a fit while the plane was taxiing before takeoff.
"He was crying, he was loud, he was squirming in my arms," Sarah Blackwood said.
Blackwood says she calmed her son Giorgio down, but the pilot went back to the gate because the boy was "a safety threat."
"They turned the plane around and went back to the gate and asked me to leave the plane after he was fully sleeping on me."
Blackwood then tweeted, "Just got kicked off a flight because my son was crying really loud."
And later, "Apparently my little two-year old crying son was a big threat to @united." My two year old a threat? Kicked us off the plane."
In a statement Skywest airlines which operated the flight under the United banner said, "Despite numerous requests, the child was not seated and was repeatedly in the aisle of the aircraft before departure and during taxi. The crew made the appropriate decision to return to the gate in the interest of safety."
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But other passengers on the flight did not see it that way.
Passenger Shane Findlay called the situation "appalling"
And passenger Paul Moore said in a posting to United, "Everyone on that flight was shocked at how unprofessional, unreasonable and insensitive a certain member of your staff acted."
"I was embarrassed because we were getting thrown off an airplane because my son was being fussy."
Blackwood is a musician with the Canadian band "Walk off the Earth." She is also pregnant with another child.
