Video: Father kicked off Frontier plane from Orlando for letting child sit on lap during take-off
ORLANDO, Fla. - A father and his 2-year-old daughter were removed from a Frontier Airlines flight traveling Florida after the crying child wanted to sit on his lap during take-off, which the airline says is an FAA violation.
"What was the most awesome daddy/daughter weekend ended with my toddler and I being removed from @flyfrontier Flight 1301 from Orlando to Atlanta. All because she was too nervous to sit in her seat during takeoff and wanted to sit in my lap," Chrisean Rose posted on his Instagram page.
The video shows Rose speaking with a flight attendant, who warns that he will be arrested if he does not leave the plane.
"They will arrest you; I’m telling you that right now," a flight attendant is heard telling Rose. When he refused, a flight attendant is heard over the loudspeaker saying that the aircraft needed to be partially deplaned due to an "unfortunate incident."
In a statement, Frontier Airlines said: "On a recent flight preparing to depart from Orlando to Atlanta, a customer was advised that his child needed to be buckled into her own seat for takeoff. 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. At Frontier, safety is our number one priority."
According to the FAA's rules: "A safety belt provided for the occupant of a seat may not be used by more than one person who has reached his or her second birthday." Exceptions are made for children under two years of age.
Rose told FOX 5 in Atlanta that his daughter is 25-months-old, one month over the FAA requirement.
In a statement, the FAA shared links to the rules about seatbelts and seat requirements, as well as another rule requiring passengers to follow flight attendant's instructions.
"No person may assault, threaten, intimidate, or interfere with a crewmember in the performance of the crewmember's duties aboard an aircraft being operated under this part," the rule stated.
TRENDING STORIES:
Snake hunters in Florida find massive 104-pound Burmese python near Big Cypress National Preserve
Disney World is not the most expensive Florida theme park: This one is, study says
VIDEO: Florida deputies rescue 6-foot shark caught in crab trap
In his social media post, Rose wrote, "I explained to the ONE flight attendant who initiated this whole ordeal that this was her first time flying and that she was just scared. Something any rational human would understand. In fact, 3 other attendants passed us, check for my seat belt and all was fine."
He described the ordeal as "disheartening" and said that the situation was "handled very poorly."
"And to top it all off, after we were removed, they refused to give us our stroller," he said. "The police officers who they called to ‘arrest’ me ended up defending me and demanded that they stopped and take my stroller off."