Pilot turns plane around, kicks off autistic toddler & mother

Janice Farrell is a attention seeking "Poor Me'er" who should not be receiving any exposure other than parenting tips. Were she TRULY concerned with the WELL BEING of her son, she would have not placed him in the situation to being with; notice how she opted to take a TRAIN to her interview with ABC, where she admitted that she was, "Unconcerned with the affect that her child's behavior had on the other 200 passengers on the flight". She should be flagged by the airlines as a HIGH RISK flyer and NOT allowed to place the rest of us in potential harm in the future. No wonder her kid is a brat. Special Needs children deserve an attentive parent who looks after THEIR well being, NOT the convienence of the parent, to the DEMISE of EVERYONE else around them!!!

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I think there were mistakes on all sides. The mother should have had him in a car seat, and definitely should have stowed her bag when she was asked to do so. The flight attendant should be trained not to touch ANY child passenger unless the child is unaccompanied. Touching my child would get her upset too.

My personal bias, though, is that almost every time I read bizarre airline stories they are on commuter carriers (as this one is). The breastfeeding incident on Delta that was really on their commuter carrier, and this, and more. I don't think flight attendants on commuters are as well trained, and I try to avoid them with my kids. Also because of the smaller plane size you get into car seat issues you don't have on other planes.

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I have had no choice but to fly with my kids several times, once with just a 6mo., once with a 15 mo. old, once with a 6 mo. old and a 2 year old, and most recently with a 18mo. old and a 3 year old. It's become pretty terrifying. My kids are wonderfully behaved most of the time, but they're both really young, and unpredictable. My son has major medical issues. They both detest waiting and sitting still like any normal kids their age. Every time I have to go into an airport or onto an airplane I am literally shaking and nauseated because I am afraid one of them will cry or fight getting into the car seat and we'll get thrown off, or worse, put in jail and our kids taken away. Airlines DO need to have safety first in their collective minds, but it's gotten to the point where they have total and complete control over anything and everything. People have been thrown off for having a crying child, and even for wearing "inappropriate" clothing. When did the US become a police state with the airline industry making all the rules?

As far as this mother and child go, I do understand what it's like to have an autistic child in your care, and I cannot imagine any autistic person feeling comfortable on an airplane. Let alone that this child was 2, and therefore prone to acting like a 2 year old. However, I also agree that if a seperate seat was purchased for the child, he should have been in an FAA approved carseat to reduce the risk of something like this happening in the first place.

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Airlines have enough trouble keeping to flight schedules without being expected to wait for a parent to get a child under control. I believe the other passengers deserved to know the reason this flight returned to the terminal.

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Sit Down, Shut up, Buckle in, or get off!
Many of us frequent flyers conduct business on a flight. I expect the same restrictions for an unruly child on a $200.00 (or more) flight that I would expect in a restaurant or movie theater or any other public place. If your child can't be controlled then drive!

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JMO-- While any 2-year-old *might* have a tantrum, an autistic one to boot is unpredictable..THUS posing a danger to other passengers. The mother could've better prepared herself and her son for a flight, and if that couldnt be done, the responsible thing to do would be to remove your child from the plane without someone stepping in. This would not just be for the child's sake, but for the passengers as well.

Just because your kid is autistic doesn't mean that the world should be accommodating to you or your child. These kids have a disability, thus unable to do certain things that able bodied people can do. This is where parents are at fault. In my opinion they want their kids to be treated just like other kids, when in fact-- they are just the opposite. The better way to handle this would've been to give him a bribe *hey, i've done it* and keep the peace. Special circumstances call for special action.

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oh and why was this mother letting her child roll around in the isles anyway??? My child was on a plane (in a carseat) and he would NEVER act that way-- never did. I guess its all about parenting skills and how early you teach your child to respect others and themselves.

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Flight attendants can get snippy and...well...pretty foolish, because of their impatience with passengers in general.

We fly often, and most experiences are okay, but I've had a FA get worked up because my child (quiet, well behaved) was sitting with her legs crossed in the seat instead of with her legs straight ahead in flight. Another nearly had a meltdown because we had a window shade partially down during a sunny flight. (She insisted FAA regulations require shades to be fully up at all times during all flights.)

The reason I bring those things up is to show that while most airline crew are reasonable people, there are those who are downright weird, and it's unnerving to give people like that the power to boot someone off a flight purely on a whim.

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I work for an airline and I have so for the past 16 months. Never have a witnessed a child being so disruptive that one of our planes had to go back to the gate. It is rediculous to think that car seats are not permitted on board the aircraft. That is not accurate unless it is a booster seat. Almost all carseats are approved for in-flight use by the FAA, the only ones that are not are booster style seats inwhich are labeled on the back. Most airlines offer a "gate check" option for families traveling with children. The service allows the family to check their carseat or stroller if THEY do not want to take it onboard.

So to blame the airline for not giving the mother the option for a carset on board is absurd. Carseats are great for the car but a little awkward in the air.

As for the flight attendent feeling the need to have reached across and tighten a seatbelt is uncalled for in any situation. Whether it was a 2 1/2 year old or a 50 year old, never should a flight attendent touch a passenger. It seems to me, after meeting numerous flight crews, that this was taken out of contex and perhaps the crew was having a negative day. Which I am not condoning thier actions, because in my opinion they were uncalled for. what I am saying is that this is extremly out of the ordinary and should not be thought about when traveling with children.

Airlines welcome all passengers equally

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From the wording of the article, it sounded as though the mother was not doing her part to help in the situation. She complains about the flight attendant buckling his belt...THATS HER JOB. And if the mother had been helping her keep the kid buckled, the fact that he was having a fit probably could have been overlooked.

If she isn't buckling him-if he is rolling on the floor in a fit- then it's not just an issue of a crying child, but becomes an issue of safety. We don't overlook the eye exam of a driving test just because the person is blind and we don't take-off when a kid is unbuckled just because he is autistic.

Do your kid a favor- stop using his handicap as an excuse.

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Maybe there should be a law against travelling with children under five, unless for health or medical reasons. There is no reason why people who have paid a ton of money for airfare should be subjected to that kind of behavior. I have a newborn, and she has moments of absolute terror, moments when her shrill screaming and crying leaves me in tears as well. I can't imagine willingly subjecting others to that. With the help of my husband, we made this child and it is our duty to care for her in her moments of distress- no one else should be responsible for or subjected to her fits. Autistic or not, children cry, and it can be tense and unbearable at times. And the woman knew, with his condition, that her child was prone to even greater levels of tantrums than normal children. Take a car or stay at home. Those are the only practical options.

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Bravo! The kid was endangered not buckled in....and why should anyone have to endure a flight from hell...not just the one sitting next to him but the at least 25-30 passengers sitting around/near them would be effected too by the uncontrollable tantrum for too long....Perhaps the mother should have paid for the Private Jet to handle her son....And I don't think it has anything to do with Autism....that fact is irrelavant. May God grant her help and patience with her son....but for the rest of us...we shouldn't have to be trapped on the plane with that!!!

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No problem. As a psychologist I have the situation under control-easy. I would have picked the child up and held him in my arms (*restraing him, he is autistic and out of control. must protect him from injury ) and spoke softly to him but not allowing him his freedom. with a candy bar and nice talk he would have settled down. straped into the seat together and on with the journey. Autistic children love to eat and a candy bar would keep him calm. hey! life is full of problems but they are solvable with a little kindness from all, especially in this case. This happens everyday in the life of early childhood.

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obviously you never had children or you were a mother from H**L.

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There was a recent story that a pilot, at the gate, received a bad phone call on his cell. It upset him so badly that he could NOT fly. He came over the loudspeaker and spoke to the passengers and relayed that their safety was much more important than his distraction, and they all pretty much felt the same way. He had to cancel the flight. So, if there is a screaming kid thrashing on the floor, it is distracting to other PAYING customers as well, AND the crew. What if the plane DID make it up in the air and this happened? What if the pilot had to make an emergency landing with the kid on the floor and people scrambling to get out of an inferno? C'mon people! The child should have been placed in a safety seat, just as all children of certain age are required to be in one in a moving vehicle. And the mother of this child didn't do him any favors. Neither did the stewardess. But rules are rules and they are there for a reason. If I were the pilot, I would have turned around too and filed charges or a complaint on the mother!

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I think you would feel differently about the Autism issue if you experienced it first hand. My nephew is Autistic and luckily for my sister he is not as bad as that...it's a real shameful thing. Usually if my nephew is having a meltdown like that it has nothing to do with the situation at hand...sometimes he will have a stomach ache and will have a meltdown because of the simple fact that he can't tell her what is wrong with him. I know that sounds totally weird that he can't but that is the perplexity of Autism and while there is no cure only hope...people need to be educated about it...because it it increasingly more common. I feel like people shouldn't make special acceptions of course because too many people will take advantage of it but I also feel like the misunderstanding and lack of knowledge is no excuse either. So I shouldn't take my nephew on an airplane or out to dinner because I may bother someone or people don't understand? Get a grip. That's your problem not mine. It's not about it being anyone's fault because it's not your problem he has an issue nor is it my problem that he is bothering you. The fact is have a little compassion and send your heart out to these poor kids that are never going to have a normal life.

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Airplanes these days can take as many as 500 PASSENGERS on board, and each of these PASSENGERS are entitled to the same rights as the child causing the disruption. If that child doesn't want to behave, he violates the rest of the PASSENGERS. I don't like flying with infants, though I can understand their having problems because of pressure differential on their little ears. The airlines have an obligation to provide a certain degree of safety and comfort. They remove drunks and junkies who get unruly, why not children?

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The pilot did exactly the right thing. Autistic or not, if a mother can't/won't control a brat, everyone else shouldn't have to put up with it. But, it's rare these days that people aren't too lazy to control their children. When I was growing up, parents told their kids ONE time to do or not do something and if you didn't listen, you found yourself laying in the corner what happened.

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Shame Shame on the airline and pilots. They were perhaps kids too at one point even though it seems from their attitude that they have no kids of their own. I have traveled the world and there have been times when adults are scared during take off and some don't even like wearing belts.
And here we are making an issue out of a little 2.5 year old . How dare that hostess come in and tighten the little bab's belt. She could've asked the mother to do that. Her job was not just to act like a b.....ch but her job was also to ensure that the child was givent he best customer service on board. Who knows , maybe the hostess hated children..
I consider this incident extremely offensive. How dare they do that. They turned the precious child into a monster and a terrorist.
Goodness the extent to which our society has degenerated in terms of tolerance and compassion is beyond my comprehension.
It is sad sad sad. We have turned into hateful and compassion less monsters always judging and seking our own comfort and shutting off eveything else around....

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