A family was reportedly kicked off of a flight because a child had a small cut on their face. The pilot thought the cut was a health and safety hazard.
John Maitland, 33, and his partner, Laura Bishop, 36, were traveling with their 19-month old daughter, Robyn, on an easyJet flight from the Isle of Jersey to Newcastle, England earlier this month when the incident occurred, Sky News reports.
A flight attendant happened to notice a small scrape on the young girl's cheek that she got after falling on a radiator during vacation. The couple didn't think twice about the cut, but it lead to the family being kicked off the plane. The flight attendant told the pilot about the injury and the family was asked to leave the aircraft.
"I couldn't believe it. I started crying and I was pleading with him, saying 'this is ridiculous, we're only going to Newcastle, it's about an hour's flight', but he insisted that he wouldn't fly us," Bishop told Sky News.
The pilot was concerned about how close the cut was to the child's eye. He thought it might worsen on board due to the increased cabin pressure.
"It's just a little red mark on her face. It's not even going to scar. It wasn't deep. It didn't really bleed at all," the mother said.
The family was forced to get off the plane as their luggage was taken off the aircraft and the crew threatened to call police if they didn't leave.
"The whole plane was sat looking at us. It was quite embarrassing really," Bishop said.
The family was advised to re-book their flight after the child had a medical note saying that she could fly.
"The doctor said he thought it was ridiculous. He said 'you're joking'," Bishop told Sky News.
The only other available flight was three days later. According to the family, the airline didn't offer to help them find accommodations as they waited.
The family was already dealing with enough stress as Bishop is seven-and-a-half months pregnant. She missed a baby scan that she had scheduled at home. The couple spent more than $900 to change all of their plans.
The airline claims that they are trying to resolve the issue with the family.
"The safety and wellbeing of our passengers is always easyJet's highest priority. We are in contact with the family directly to resolve their issue over the flights and reassure them that the actions of our crew was from concern for and in the best interest of the child," an easyJet spokeswoman told Sky News.
Bishop thinks the crew overreacted. "I think it's crazy. It's health and safety gone mad."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
