Screenshot: YouTube
Another day, another airline controversy.
No, United Airlines didn’t drag anyone off their plane again. And no, American Airlines didn’t force a woman to seat near a pervert again. This time around Jet Blue is being accused of kicking a family off their plane after a passenger complained that their one-year-old kicked the back of their seat.
Parents Tamir Raanan and Mandy Ifrah Raanan were flying back to New York City from a wedding with their three small children when their one-year-old, Eden, began kicking a passenger’s seat. Annoying? Of course. But according to the family attorney, David Templer, words were exchanged before Mandy apologized to the passenger and the passenger changed seats. But then things took a turn.
Via Local 10
“The plane, at that point, just turns back around, goes back to the gate and security from JetBlue gets onto the flight and tells me and my family and I to grab our things and get off the plane,” Ifrah said in an interview with Local 10 News.
JetBlue said that the adults in the family were making threats, and it was their actions that caused them to be taken off the plane.
“After a verbal altercation that included physical threats and profanities against a nearby customer, the aircraft door was reopened and our airports team politely asked the customers to step off to discuss the situation,” JetBlue said in a statement. “The customers refused repeated requests and our crew members deplaned the entire aircraft. Law enforcement escorted them out of the gate area and we provided a refund.”
Here’s part one of the exchange between the family and crew.
And now here’s part two.
Jet Blue said in a statement that the family was not “not removed due to the actions of their children.”
“We are investigating whether the customers’ behavior warrants restrictions on JetBlue travel, and we thank our crew members for their professional handling of this unfortunate incident,” the statement said.
According to Tamir and Mandy the next day when they arrived for a flight they were told they were banned from Jet Blue while the case is under investigation.
Well, whose side are you on?
