A family from Washington state had to cancel an island vacation when their flight was grounded after their 3-year-old son pitched a tantrum.
The toddler had been quietly playing with an iPad while waiting for the plane to take off, the father said. When the iPad was taken away—you know how all electronics must be stowed during takeoff and landing—all hell broke loose.
Alaska Airlines says the matter boiled down to a security issue: the child became so upset, he would not sit up straight and keep his seatbelt on, and the father could not control him. The airline offered the family a later flight, but the toddler isn't interested.
"I'm not sure how the kids will feel about flying next time," said the dad, Mark Yanchak. "As soon as we got of the plane he was like, 'Dad, no fly, go home, let's go home. I think the whole ordeal just scared him off. He didn't want to fly again."
I dunno. The FAA's in-flight gadget restrictions are nonsensical, but I'm calling this one as parenting fail. As BB commenter angusm rightly notes, "Children should be switched off during take-off and landing. And at all points in between."
More: NY Daily News, citing a local Seattle radio news report. (image: KIRO, Seattle)
