In a troubling incident, United Airlines forced a mother to hold her 27-month-old son on her lap for an entire flight after they mistakenly gave away his seat. This happened despite the fact that she had already paid nearly $1,000 for two seats—one for herself and one for her child.
On her journey back to Hawaii from Boston, Shirley Thompson found herself in a difficult situation when her reserved seats turned into just one upon reaching Houston for a connecting flight. As she boarded, a man claimed the seat meant for her son. “I told him I bought both seats,” she recounted to a local news outlet. The flight attendant, however, simply shrugged and said, “flight’s full.”
Feeling anxious after witnessing a previous incident involving a passenger being forcibly removed from a United flight, Thompson chose not to argue. “I’m scared. I’m worried. I’m traveling with a toddler. I didn’t want to get hurt,” she explained. Thus, she spent the entire three-hour leg of the journey with her 25-pound toddler, Leo, awkwardly perched on her lap.
Anyone who has ever attempted to travel with a toddler knows how challenging it can be, especially when they’re at an age where they need their own space. “I had him in all sorts of weird sleeping positions. Ultimately, he ended up standing between my knees,” she lamented. Unfortunately, she didn’t get to fully utilize the $969 ticket she purchased for her son, while the man who took the seat only paid $75.
United Airlines later issued a statement acknowledging the error, explaining that they mistakenly scanned the boarding pass for Thompson’s son, which led to the seat being reassigned. The airline apologized and stated they would refund her son’s ticket and offer a travel voucher. They also committed to improving their gate procedures to avoid future mishaps.
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In summary, a mother flying with her toddler faced an uncomfortable ordeal when United Airlines mistakenly gave away her son’s seat, forcing her to hold him throughout the flight. The airline has since issued an apology and promised to improve their boarding procedures to prevent such incidents in the future.
Keyphrase: United Airlines toddler seat incident
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