United Airlines is yet another airline that isn’t doing a very good job when it comes to accommodating mothers with small children. A Canadian singer took to the Internet earlier last week after she and her 2-year-old son were ejected from a flight because he was crying.
Sarah Blackwood (known for her work with Walk Off the Earth), who is also seven months pregnant with her second child, was horrified when the flight attendant who warned her three times to quiet her son had the plane turn around from taxiing and return to the gate. They were then ejected unceremoniously from the plane and forced to make alternate travel plans. By then, her son was quietly asleep in her arms.
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
The worst part? She’s not the first mom this has happened to.
The airline has provided two different excuses for why Blackwood was ejected. According to one statement, her son was in the aisle and therefore caused a safety risk…
…except she was in a window seat, and that wouldn’t have been possible.
The other excuse? Apparently, Blackwood was required to put her seatbelt over her child, who was also in her lap. Except they didn’t give her a seat belt extension or any provisions to do so.
The singer’s fellow passengers have also taken to social media to attest that Blackwood and her son were not causing any physical disruption that would jeopardize safety.
Our verdict? If United Airlines–or any other airline–has an issue with moms, they need to address it, and fast. Plenty of parents fly with no problems, but these negative experiences are creating a troublesome trend.
