A disgruntled Delta Airlines passenger named Brian Schear posted a Video on YouTube that detailed just what had happened to him and his family on a Delta flight from Maui to Los Angeles on April 23. The eight-minute footage showed him arguing with a flight attendant, a verbal battle that eventually saw Schear, his wife, and their two young children removed from the aircraft.
Baby passenger woes
The crux of the argument was the seating arrangement for the Schear family on the flight. Brian originally booked the seat that was being contested for his older son.
This one volunteered to take an earlier flight so that his younger siblings could be seated. So Brian Schear settled his two-year-old baby boy, secured to a child safety seat, in the vacant chair.
He was called out on this by a Delta crew member, who said that he couldn’t seat his child on the chair because it was for his older son, according to the ticket. The safety seat also drew alarm, as the attendant claimed it was banned by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), obliging Schear to seat the child on his lap instead.
This standoff reached a fever pitch with the crew member threatening Schear and his wife with possible arrest unless he complied. Nevertheless, when he did finally relent, the attendants outright said that they were to be forcibly removed anyway.
Epic failure
Once the Schears were removed from the Delta aircraft, Brian noted that their four seats were promptly filled by four other ticket-bearing passengers. He called out the company for over-booking. The family simply took a later flight on a different airline. On May 4, Delta Airlines issued an official statement apologizing for the treatment the Schears received from their Maui-LA flight crew, adding that they’ve reached out to the family for ticket refunds, as well as other unspecified compensation.
Unfriendly airline trend?
Delta Airlines wasn't the only carrier to come under scrutiny of late. Last month, united airlines removed one of their passengers, David Dao. Dao was forcefully removed and sustained injuries. Not long after that, on a London-Chicago flight, it was discovered that a large rabbit, the offspring of the Guinness World Records’ largest bunny, was found dead in the cargo hold of the aircraft.
While not much could be done in the matter of Simon the dead rabbit, at the very least United Airlines has been able to come to a settlement with Dr. Dao.
