Crying Toddler Gets Canadian Singer Sarah Blackwood Kicked Off Flight
A crying toddler resulted in Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah Blackwood getting kicked off a United Airlines flight in San Francisco.
Blackwood, a member of the group Walk Off The Earth, who is also 7 months pregnant, was traveling with her 23-month-old son, Giorgio, on a flight from San Francisco to Vancouver on Wednesday, May 27, when the toddler started crying during the first leg of the trip. During the second half of the flight, United Airlines Flight 6223, a flight attendant warned Blackwood that the pilot would turn the plane around if she couldn’t gain control of her son, CTV News reports.
“I had to hold him, he was being very squirmy and was crying very loud,” Blackwood said, noting that she hadn’t purchased a ticket for Giorgio because he was under the age of two and could be held in her lap.
“I looked at her and said ‘I’m doing what I can here, I’m holding him. This is what I’m supposed to do,’ ” she recalled of speaking to the flight attendant. After speaking to a second flight attendant, Sarah said she started to get emotional.
“My eyes were welling up, I was so embarrassed,” she said.
Sarah explained that the plane was taxiing, and then came to a stop. The pilot informed the passengers that they needed to refuel. However, when they arrived at the airport, Sarah and Giorgio, who had since fallen asleep in her lap, were asked to leave. When she asked why, she was told her son was making the passengers and attendants feel “unsafe” and he was a “threat” to the flight.
“It felt like it was in slow motion. I was in tears, it was so embarrassing. It was awful,” she said.
Following the incident, SkyWest Airlines, United Airlines’ regional partner, issued a statement.
“Despite numerous requests, the child was not seated, as required by federal regulation to ensure passenger safety, and was repeatedly in the aisle of the aircraft before departure and during taxi,” the statement said, according to AFP. “While our crews work to make travelling safe and comfortable for all travelers, particularly families, the crew made the appropriate decision to return to the gate in the interest of safety.”
Sarah hopes that her incident will serve as a message for other travelers, especially those with children.
“There is no reason why any mother should be apologetic to the people around her because her baby is having a hard time on a flight,” she said.
“They’re not adults. They are not always consolable the way that people think that they are.”
Sarah Blackwood also took to Twitter to discuss the incident, where her crying toddler got her thrown off of the plane.
Just got kicked off a @united flight because my son was crying really loud. Stayed calm but overall #Discrimination #motherhaters @united
— Sarah Blackwood (@SarahBlackwood1) May 27, 2015
Apparently my little 2 yr old crying son was a big threat to @united UA6223.MY 2 YR OLD!A threat?!?! Kicked us off the plane @discrimination
— Sarah Blackwood (@SarahBlackwood1) May 27, 2015
[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images]
