Mother of noisy toddler humiliated after being kicked off flight

An Auckland mother says she was humiliated after being asked to leave the plane when her toddler refused to settle before take-off. Elena Volkova had planned to fly from Auckland to Christchurch with her two young sons, but was asked to leave due to airline safety rules regarding unseated passengers.

An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said that the issue was not that the child was crying, but rather that Civil Aviation requirements specify that all passengers must use seatbelt restraints during takeoff and landing. When the child could not be convinced to be seated with the seat belt fastened, the pilot was forced to request that the family disembark. 

Ms. Volkova said that the experience was humiliating, and that she was hardly given a chance to settle the child. She also said that while she considered the airline's argument to make "perfect sense," the crew did not adequately explain the problem to her at the time. She believed the issue to be the toddler's crying, and said that she focused on getting him to quiet down rather than getting him seated. 

The family missed the alternative flight they were offered, and Ms. Volkova's husband was forced to abandon his own weekend plans to pick up the youngest son from the airport. While she and her eldest son did reach Christchurch that day, only one way of her youngest's return ticket was refunded, leaving Ms. Volkova out of pocket.

You can read more about this story here.

Looking for reliable and convenient access to all Australian legislation and case law? Ask for a free trial to TimeBase LawOne today.