A Canadian musician says she was kicked off a United Airlines flight at San Francisco International Airport because of her crying son.
Sarah Blackwood was onboard a flight to Vancouver when her 2-year-old son, Giorgio, threw a screaming fit. She managed to calm him down, but not before the outburst got her booted from the plane minutes before takeoff.
Blackwood, who sings in the band Walk Off the Earth and is seven months pregnant, vented her frustration about the incident on Twitter, calling it discrimination. She says she was on the verge of tears herself when a flight attendant asked her to control her crying child as her flight was preparing for takeoff.
"Apparently my little two-year-old crying son was a big threat," Blackwood said on Twitter.
Citing safety concerns, the airline is standing by its decision. SkyWest Airlines, which operated the United flight, said the child was not seated while the plane was taxiing and says Blackwood was asked repeatedly to secure her son.
In a statement, a company spokesperson said in part, "Our crews return to the gate as a last resort and, although it regrettably inconvenienced everyone onboard, we are confident it was the appropriate decision in the interest of safety."
Blackwood is not seeking any legal action but has repeatedly called for an apology from United.
A United representative arranged for her and her son to get on a later flight, Blackwood said.
