Canadian singer Sarah Blackwood has hit out at United Airlines, claiming that they kicked her off a flight because her 23-month-old son would not stop crying.
The singer – who is currently seven months pregnant – had boarded a flight from San Francisco to Vancouver on Wednesday of this week when the incident occurred.
She explained to People magazine that her son became restless in her lap, and she tried her best to calm him down.
“I was approached a few times by the two flight attendants on the plane, telling me to ‘control my child’. They said I was his parent and I should know how to calm him down, and if I wasn’t able to do that they would have to turn the plane around,” she told the publication.
Around 10 minutes later, Blackwood’s son fell asleep; however, she was horrified when she was approached once again by crew members and asked to leave the plane.
Just got kicked off a @united flight because my son was crying really loud. Stayed calm but overall #Discrimination #motherhaters @united
— Sarah Blackwood (@SarahBlackwood1) May 27, 2015
Apparently my little 2 yr old crying son was a big threat to @united UA6223.MY 2 YR OLD!A threat?!?! Kicked us off the plane @discrimination
— Sarah Blackwood (@SarahBlackwood1) May 27, 2015
Arrived in Vancouver. 5hr travel day turned in 2 a 12hr mess with @united. 7mnths pregnant, and kicked off a flight for crying 2yr old. Sick
— Sarah Blackwood (@SarahBlackwood1) May 28, 2015
“I don’t like to make a big deal of anything; I don’t like to make a fuss; I don’t put up fights. I just said to her, ‘Please don’t do this’. But she said, ‘The staff doesn’t feel safe on the plane with your son,’” she added.
While Blackwood admits that a number of her fellow passengers stood up for her, there was no arguing with the crew’s final decision which, she admits, has left her feeling “appalled”.
The company’s partner, SkyWest Airlines went on to issue a statement, which read: “The crew made the difficult decision to remove Ms. Blackwood and her child from the flight based solely on safety concerns. Despite numerous requests, the child was not seated…and was repeatedly in the aisle of the aircraft before departure and during taxi.”
Blackwood has hit back at the statement, telling People: “We were in a window seat with a gentleman beside us…My son wasn’t even close to an aisle.”
