JetBlue, Ft Lauderdale: Family removed from flight
 

Family of 5 removed from flight - After allegedly threatening another passenger over a dispute triggered by their toddler kicking the seat.

Family tossed from JetBlue flight after toddler kicked seat | New York Post

It happened July 2. As best I can tell, it just started being reported yesterday.

Apart from what seems to be high-handed action by the airline (admitting we don't know the whole story), did they really depart with the families bags still on board?

The removed passengers don't seem to understand that the seat kicking had nothing to do with their removal - it was their threats and obscene language that earned them the boot. It looks like Jet Blue did the right thing - far better to remove a problem on the ground before it turns into one in the air.

Family kicked off a JetBlue plane
 

Apparently one of their kids was misbehaving:

Passengers say JetBlue removed them from flight after 1-year-old kicked seat - ABC News

Press release says the aircraft departed with the disembarked pax luggage still on board ? Double standards of security I would say!

Just how would their luggage present a threat. Realistically?

I'm sure the rest of the pax were grateful that someone used their noddle instead of barking like Pavlovs dog and left it there rather than delay things any further.

nonflynomore - comments
 

I disagree with nonflynomore's remarks about the passengers' luggage: airline say the family were "issuing threats" - that's why they were removed, not because of child's behaviour. The rules about unaccompanied baggage are there for a reason, and should be adhered to 100% of the time. If this family were indeed threatening the crew, that should "raise the flag" to their higher-than-usual security risk.

I regret to say that I wish such people would be kicked off flights and banned more often. Parents who don't give a damn, and do nothing, about their children persistently kicking the seat in front (the 1-year-old was clearly on someone's lap) are a real nuisance to other passengers.

I thought it was commonplace on US Domestic flights to not always offload baggage even if the passengers were not on-board? As much as I disagree with the practice, this is not the first time I've heard of this happening.

Every person denied on a flight now seems to want to get their 5 minutes of fame. If this was to happen to me I'd me mortified and be the one apologising to be honest. The last thing I'd do is go running to the press.

Also common sense may be applied as appropriate.
Threats didn't start till they were asked to disembark.
The family had all intention of flying.
Therefore during a risk assessment it must have been determined of very low threat level.
And that is how the systems is supposed to work.

Children free flights or at least zones?

I really don't know what to think.
The family got off the plane, and they kept asking for the reason for this but none were forthcoming.
As a private company they can refuse service to anyone, but I'm having a hard time to side with them.
My personal opinion, of course.

I am fully supportive of ejecting passengers with seat-kicking children.

Article says that the luggage was "returned to Florida". That's from the family, who may or may not know what their luggage actually did. Another possible explanation is that their luggage was actually deplaned while the airline was deplaning and replaning passengers and it never left Florida.

That's the booted passengers' attorney's press release. That's not guaranteed to be accurate information about their luggage.

Meh, they knew the reason. In the video from the plane, the woman asks rhetorically if anything "physical" happened which indicates that she knows that there was a verbal altercation. The gate agent played it correctly. The family was obviously in "deny that we did anything wrong" mode, so further conversation about the incident it futile, and best left to a supervisor. I wouldn’t be surprised if there's something in their manual or training which recommends exactly that, referring the passengers to a supervisor, in such a case.

It's not outside of the realms of possibility that a terrorist could get a bomb onto a aircraft then the passenger whose baggage it was in deliberately doing something to ensure that they were kicked off the flight knowing or hoping that their baggage would be left on board.

Unlikely?
Not too long ago, terrorists flying planes into buildings was unlikely, as was the possibility of terrorists driving cars or lorries into pedestrians.

Yes - no positive bag matching on US domestic flights. It's fairly common for bags to take earlier flights (or later flights - _without_ the extra rush bag stuff they do elsewhere), or even occasionally to take a different routing. Airlines do make it a little harder to switch flights once you've checked bags, but it's still possible (they then "try" to make your bag follow you, but usually fail).

Children do have a habit of kicking the seats in front of them, kids are kids. Most parents say "I'm very sorry, I'll try to stop it happening again." and then do something about it. But there are some precious parents out there with equally precious offspring. Either their little darling didn't do it, their lovely little thing is sitting in a paid seat and can do whatver it wants or maybe they just can not stand criticism. Fortunately there are not that many anti-social parents so these things don't happen that often but it's best if such precious people do not travel with others.

With regards to luggage it deoends on local law and airline policy. This family thought they were going to fly. Admittedly, it could have been a set up but the chances of annoying someone enough before flight and then getting deplaned are less than successfully getting a prohibited package in board using other means. Besides 100% bag screening will reduced the chances of getting anything untoward on board to a negligible level. So if their unaccompanied bags flew it was an entirely reasonable thing to do.

And as ever, more facts would be nice. But now lawyers have got involved they will be lost in the action.

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