A family was removed from an overbooked Delta flight from Maui to Los Angeles after the dad confronted staff who wanted the baby to be held instead of in his car seat even though the couple bought the seat.
Brian and Brittany Schear originally bought the seat on the April 23 flight for their 18-year-old son, but at Delta's suggestion, Brian Schear told NBC Chicago, the teen took an earlier flight so the baby could ride in his car seat in an airplane seat of his own.
When the flight was found to be overbooked, the Schears were reportedly told to give up the seat and hold the infant instead.
“He won’t sleep unless he’s in his car seat,” Brian Schear explained to Delta staff in a video of the confrontation. As the incident continued, airline security threatened the couple they would be arrested if they didn’t comply with the airline’s request to leave the cabin.
“I paid for the seat,” Schear says in the video. “This is ridiculous.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, employees also told the couple that Delta and FAA rules state a 2-year-old must fly on a parent’s lap, which is not true. Both organizations' websites say children under 2 should fly in individual seats in approved carseats.
After being kicked off the flight, the Schears had to take a taxi and get a hotel room, then buy new tickets the next day for $2,000, they told NBC. They were never reimbursed for their original tickets, they said.
“They need to change the way they treat us,” Brian said, NBC reported. “They treat us like cattle. It’s unbelievable. It’s not fair to treat people this way.”
According to NBC, Delta said it was sorry for the way the family was treated and that it would be reaching out to them.