Over the weekend, Chrisean Rose had an unfavorable experience while flying with Frontier Airlines. Rose was traveling with his 2-year-old daughter Rayana when he was threatened with arrest before eventually being removed from a flight. The situation stemmed from his toddler being uncomfortable on the aircraft.
Today (Aug. 9), WSB-TV 2 reported that the Atlanta father spent the weekend taking his young child on a quick getaway to Orlando, Florida. While the pair had a great time, taking three different flights along the way, the fun was cut short before they attepmted to return home on a Frontier flight. “They will arrest you. I’m telling you that right now,” a flight attendant told Rose just before the plane was scheduled to take off. The airline’s employee was referring to the fact that Rayana was sitting in her father’s lap.
While Rose understood the policy, he said, “Spirit allowed for me to fly with her in my lap.” The flight attendant did not seem to care what the other airline allowed, insisting the 25-month-old baby sit in her own seat. “She’s a small kid; she’s nervous. I explained to the flight attendant that this is only our first time traveling, and she’s a little bit nervous,” Rose told the outlet.
The father says the problem got worse as the aircraft was taxing. He could not get 2-year-old Rayana to sit still in her own seat. The plane returned to the gate, where the pair was forced off the flight. Rose told the news station, “Babies don’t understand policies.” He added, “I did not think it needed to [go] that far. I mean, arrest for what? For a kid crying?” Frontier Airlines released a statement following the incident. It read in part, “It is an FAA requirement that all passengers over the age of 24 months must be buckled into their own seat for takeoff and landing. The parent refused to comply and, therefore, was asked to exit the aircraft with the child.”