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101 students kicked off AirTran flight

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A New York high school senior class and an airline agree on one thing: 101 students and eight chaperones were kicked off an early-morning flight from New York to Atlanta on Monday...from there, the accounts diverge. (www.cnn.com) More...

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mschacht44
Mike Schacht 39
I think this is awesome! Good for AirTran/Southwest for kicking them off the plane.
ipaisalman
ipaisalman 37
Congrats to the Captain. They came on as a group, some didn't follow FAA rules, they we escorted off as a group. The kids and the teachers should be the ones the parents are upset with, not the airline.
99NY
99NY 24
Brats...
n7224e
BC Hadley 17
I like the kid who complained he wasn't given a chance to turn off his phone before being asked to leave. What he probably meant was that "okay, I REALLY mean it now - for the last time before I call your dad" chance like he gets at home. Then there's the kid who actually said "We were more behaved than kids should be." Attitude of entitlement or low standards? I doubt religion had anything to do with this - they were just spoiled brats.
dmckbeth
David McKinney 16
Bravo to Air Tran and Southwest Airlines. I have been a teacher for over 30 years. As a result, I have no patience for that type of nonsense, and that level of disrespect for rules and authority. I am livid over the fact that the adult teachers and chaperones did not take preemptive action to stop this nonsense.
As far as I am concerned, they got what they deserved . To say that this issue was "blown out of proportion", or a " mountain out of a molehill" reflects a level of denial on the part of teachers and adult supervisors that enables students like this to behave the way they did believing they can get away with it. I am truly glad they got called on it, and appropriate action was taken.
FedExCargoPilot
FedExCargoPilot 15
Those kids don't need to be flying to an amusement park, if they don't know how to follow crews instructions responsible for their safety then they need to get their a**es back to school! Does the company want to loose money because some kid got injured on the plane for his stupidity? Its not racism, its because they want to stay in business. What kind of school is this? I hope those parents aren't paying money for them to go to school.
TXCAVU
"What kind of school is this?" One which promotes entitlement, allows disrespect and retains adult supervision to enforce same. Had that been my Catholic school trip, Sister would have none of it and the students would have sat quietly like soldiers.

Had they not been removed there probably would have been a stunt during flight. Good job Captain.
7express
max lyons 12
I applaud the crew. Bravo!
tpmorrow
tpmorrow 10
Good call by the captain and crew. Besides the fact that none of the rules are complicated, a group like that has no right to hold other passengers hostage and distract aircrew simply because they're teenagers and amped up for a trip. They weren't the only ones on the plane. And a complete thumbs-down for the parents/chaperones.
AccessAir
AccessAir 10
I can barely keep other ADULTS off their cell phones when they are visiting my home, how on earth can you keep HS kids off theirs??
I think the flight crews were right in throwing them off. If there was an emergency, how many of these kids would really know what the heck to do?? In this case, I can certainly see the purpose of turning off those electronic devices.
WtfWtf
WtfWtf 9
Probably a bunch of rich kid dbags who were never told the word no in their entire spoiled lives. I'm almost certain they weren't complying with the crew.. I work with the type daily at my nepotism ridden office.
ianhmenard
Ian Ménard 9
Crew and ground staff should offload unruly passengers more easily. Too often, I see passengers being very impolite, rude and mean for no reason, towards airline and airport employees. These should not be accepted at all and be subject to automatic offload.
mcmitton
Mary Mitton 8
It is a Federal offense to disobey the Federally mandated commands of a flight or cabin crew. The captain was merely following procedure to remove the offenders.
hardworker7
hardworker7 8
Heads up Greyhound or Amtrak!!!
AviatorMom
Barbara Gould 4
These 100 kids, and their chaperones, may end up becoming the BEST customers Greyhound, has seen in a long time, unless they wise up. If they take Air Tran to Court, chances are every other airline will boycott their "tushies" and not allow them to fly at all.
Perhaps they should push the envelope, until they end up on the "Do Not Fly List"
Good job Air Tran, and SWA, keep up the good work.
skuttlerats
Jeffrey Babey 8
Southwest should be policing our schools :) Nice job SW!
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 15
Why is it trouble always follows religious groups around? One of the passengers said "We were more behaved than kids should be."

Aboard aircraft children should be seen and not heard. I am sure some were behaving, but when you come with a herd, you leave with the herd.

I would like to see yellow card, red card system like soccer used for people that keep yapping, won't stay seated, or turn off their phones. A yellow card before the door closes allows you to leave on your own and take another flight. A red card gets you kicked off and placed on the OSL (Official Stupid List) and banned from the airport for ten days.
AlfWilbert
Alfons Wilbert 9
@ Ric Wernicke,

I like your idea about using yellow and red cards, however, I would suggest to modify the resut they have.... A yellow card before the door closes allows you to leave on your own and take another flight. A red card gets you kicked off the aircraft whilst airborne !!

;-)
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 4
That is a laudable suggestion, but it is against the rules to throw trash from a moving vehicle.
Cactus732
Cactus732 14
Even though the Cellphone does little to nothing to affect safety of flight, the rules are longstanding and Southwest/AirTran were quite right to enforce them. I hope this is an example that more airlines will follow, because I don't want to be sat on planes with people who are unwilling or unable to comply with simple instructions.
mjsracing1
Steve Shaw 7
As a senior pilot myself I would have done the same thing. It is company policy as well as a FAA mandate. Follow the rules or get off. Rules such as these can be 'bent' but not broken. Good call AirTran-Southwest.
jimquinndallas
Jim Quinn 7
I'd bet that their behavior on subsequent flights was probably a little more acceptable. I can hear the lawyers lining up on this one already. The attitudes of kids is tiresome these days.
augerin
Dave Mathes 3
is this gonna' be a class action, or does each brat have their own lawyer.....
Northwest1984
William Hamlin 7
You don't listen, you get kicked off. Keep up the good work Airline employees, you should get a bonus.
Graydon
Gray Hebb 7
Great job Air Tran. Keep up the good work. I'm sure they got what they deserved.
patt46
paul patten 6
Wonder if El Al would have put up with that crap? I don't think so.
Doobs
Dee Lowry 6
YOU DON'T COMPLY...YOU DON'T FLY!!
krahmerica
krahmerica 11
Back in 1980 I was part of a group of 60 high school boys that flew from Portland OR to New Orleans LA. We were a mens chorus/barbershop type singing group. The flight was a redeye but we were wide awake of course. I can only now imagine the agony of the other dozen or so passengers on the plane (DC-9, I think) as we practiced our songs all the way there. With two layovers (but staying on the same plane), by the end of the flight the cabin crew were letting us do the safety briefings. Myself and a couple of other aviation minded guys were given in-flight tours of the flight deck. Those were the days...! I am so glad I got through high school before cell phones came along.
NotAPilotJustLikeUrNews
Kat Rose 5
Total bs, glad they were kicked off. These kids sounds like spoiled brat morons to be honest.
JohnAbraham
John Abraham 4
I am a Yeshiva graduate and I find their behavior disgusting. Congtatulations to the airline for bumping bothy the students AND the chaperones. Practise what you preach. THAT is torah!! And have sone respect for civil law.
TXCAVU
Bet you cringed when you read the story.
bob93389
Robert Harris 4
Great job AirTran. Keep up the good work.
ARUNK
Rabbi Linfield and/or the two chaperones should have taken the time to brief these kids ahead of time as to behavior, cell phone usage on aircraft, excessive noise, cooperation with the F/A's, etc. In this day and age, flight crew members should not put up with disrespectful individuals, be they kids or grown-ups. Unruly behavior on commercial aircraft today is a definite 'no-no'!!!
N5DW
N5DW 10
They need to be, at least, publicly spanked! I like the Singapore remedy for misbehavior, public caning. But that wouldn't FLY here. Too bad.

When I was in Catholic High School[St Thomas, Houston] in the mid 1950s, the discipline was enforced with a steel rod 1cm x 1cm x 1m. We were told to bend over a table and remove wallets. Three to five swats were administered. I was a hard core case and a slow learner - it took me two such sessions to learn. But when I enrolled my own son in the same school, I asked if I needed to sign any permission form for corporal punishment. I was answered that corporal punishment was no longer done. When I reminded the principal that the school motto is “Teach me Goodness, DISCIPLINE and Knowledge,” he said, wistfully, "those days, shamefully, are gone forever."
RAStrong1963
Richard Strong 2
I would have loved to hear the practice, as long as you quieted down when the Air Crew asked...
TXCAVU
In California the wooden ruler with metal edge served as both a warning flag and the object of Sisters' punishment.
RRKen
I think the attempt of the Student's tweeting media for publicity backfired.

After reading the comments on several news sites, there is an overwhelming opinion which supports the "No comply, No FLY" doctrine.

Being a Catholic School brat, this sort of thing would not fly with the Brothers who firmly believed in strict discipline. In that environment, one learns fast what non-compliance brings about. Funny how a sore keister can bring about a willingness to follow instructions.
jameshollich
James Hollich 3
Here's a bunch of kids behaving badly and reaping their just rewards! They are lucky that the airline agreed to take them on a later flight. I would have put them on a bus.
pandem
peter pandem 3
This occurred a few days ago, has any one viewed any video from the students on their numerous iPhone and smartphones? One has to ask the question if they were as innocent as they state then show us the video. BTW my wife and I had to endure a child from DFW to LGA it is not fun for anyone. The crew did the right thing – kick them off.

markaz
markaz 3
Hard to believe that Southwest/AirTran would want bad press over minor incidences or being portrayed as anti-Semitics. Those kids must have been extremely unruly and don't care about authority. Thumbs Up AirTran.
fredpeters
Fred Peters 3
SHAME ON THE SCHOOL for not letting A: the 18 year old high school students how to act on a plane, and B: the 'chaperones' on their DUTIES. In life, there are consequences for inappropriate actions and it was time they learned that lesson! GOOD FOR YOU AIR TRANS!
cloudskurfer
cloudskurfer 3
How many of you wrote to southwest to applaud the captains right doings here? I hope you know southwest eexecutives arent going to read this forum
AviatorMom
Barbara Gould 2
Great idea. Let's all write to SW's execs and commend the crew, Captain and the passengers who had to endure a 45 minute wait at the gate!! Letters like ours will weight heavily, before a Judge, if it goes that far. Thank you for the suggestion. I will get the address for SW Corporate Execs and post it here.
AviatorMom
Barbara Gould 2
Here you are folks. Go to this link, and demand that the crew of this flight, be commended for their patience and common sense. These "whiners" could have been arrested, and escorted off the aircraft by law enforcement. They were spared a night in jail, an appearance before a judge, and embarrassment to their parents and school, and they are STILL complaining? How about the Rabbi issuing a public apology to SW?
The only way that will take place, is if enough of us voice our opinions.
Thank you for supporting the FAA and SW/Air Tran airlines.

http://www.swamedia.com/channels/Officer-Biographies/pages/gary_kelly
jetlagged
Martin Weaver 5
Yeah, yeah, yeah, give us another chance. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good for you crew, they needed to be kicked off and banned from ever flying again.
jp500
Jon Potter 2
Good work AirTran! They need to learn to behave.
njnut
Todd Shaw 2
Great job Air Tran, but it does not suprise me that the parents are mad at the airline and not the kids Themselves. My wife is a teacher and she hears not from parents with bad report cards or bad progress reports but when little Johnny's lunch recess gets taken away.
Doobs
Dee Lowry 2
Are you kidding me???? Rabbi, you can investigate all you want but when your group of students failed to comply with "Crew Members" instructions, they were in violation of FAR 135-120!!! Simple as that! Violations do not discriminate! Actions taken by the crew were justified! Get kicked off...end of story! They might want to brush up on "Airline Etiquette"! "Flying 101 for Dummies"!!! Good work "Trans"!!!
AviatorMom
Barbara Gould 2
These are spoiled brats. Their parents and educators need to teach them to repect authority. Their money would be better spent, buying each of the 100 students, the "Behavior on an Aircraft for Dummies" book, before they ever allow them out in public again, if they behaved on the return leg, as disrespectfully as they did, on the AirTran flight.

There was no excuse, for delaying the flight for 45 minutes, just because there was a "religious" group on board. It matters not which religion they were, because if they were SO religious, how was it they didn't turn OFF their Electronic Devices, sit down and use the boarding time, to say their prayers? THAT would have been a lot better use of their time, and they would not have been asked to leave. Case closed. Shalom!
grhodes609
George Rhodes 2
Bravo to all involved! They deserved to get the boot.
marcobarajas
Marco Barajas 2
"We were more behaved than kids should be," REALLY? I can totally see this happening. I've traveled with teenagers on planes many times and this is not out of the realm of possibility. Kick them off and get on with the flight. They should have been given ONE chance. The rules are the rules. NO CELL PHONES and SEATBELTS ARE A "MUST".
RAStrong1963
Richard Strong 2
You guys know the media doesn't want anyone to agree with the airline, but I too applaud AT... you know its my safety and the knot heads safety, and they donthave the right to endanger others.
tomkennedy
Tom Kennedy 1
They broke the rules, they had to go. It seems pretty simple to me.
Bygeorge50
George Robledo 1
They have no respect in the classroom so why should they have respect on a jet airliner? Electronic devices should be checked in before boarding. That would solve the problem. Rules are rules!
fredpeters
Fred Peters 1
18 and still in high school????? I'll bet these kids parents will bail them out again. Stand back AirTrans here come the lawyers. Fight them HARD!!!!
clabo
Kudos to the TRS crew! Takes balls to jettison half the pax on the jet (or *all* of them if they were flying a B717! :D ).

What galls me, though, is the claims of "anti-semitism", right off. Last week in the mall, I was trying to enjoy a meal in the food court, and a group (6-8) of kids were causing a ruckus. It was pretty clear they were Jews because they were each wearing a yommika, but they weren't the over-the-top kind like the guy who stuffed himself into a plastic-bag in the middle of a flight not too long ago.

Anyway, people were giving them dirty looks because of their rowdiness, one kid was whispering to another, presumably that people were eyeballing 'em because of the noise, and the other kept saying, loudly, "So what? So what?". Pretty obnoxious...

Now, they were "behaved" in that they weren't carving their names into the tables, but it was still pretty obnoxious. And when a mall rent-a-cop came over to finally bounce them (none of them were eating anything, just hanging out), already the noisiest one was already yelling "Anti-semite!", among other things, like that's his "Whatevuh! I'll do what I waunt!" card.

So again, kudos to the TRS crew for bouncing them, as I can just picture the "entitled" brats wanting to do whatever they want, and damn any rules (or common courtesy).
jkudlick
Jeremy Kudlick 1
I never went to a religious school, but my mother went to a Catholic school, and it only took one ruler across her knuckles in first grade to teach her to listen to Sister. I had my own discipline systems around me growing up: I'm a Navy BRAT, and I was in the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle in 1993. I didn't need any encouragement to behave other than knowing that my parents would find out if I didn't, and then I would be in real trouble. This included my first solo plane rides (KBOS-KLAX via KORD and back in 1988). The flight attendants said I was one of the best behaved kids they had ever had. (Come to think of it, I had more flights as an unaccompanied minor than I had with my family.)

Kudos to the flight crew for doing the right thing.

[This poster has been suspended.]

RAStrong1963
Richard Strong 2
So does by proclaiming "We are Jewish" entitled them to some special privilege? Would God have ordained them to be disruptive and endanger the entire aircraft and other passengers?
CharlesPh
Charles Ph 0
Is it the case that Southwest Airlines is attempting to cover up an unprofessional and rash decision, by saying their group was not cooperating with the crew, when in fact they were?
CharlesPh
Charles Ph 0
Southwst overreacted.

Again. after kicking Billy Joe - of Greenday - off the plane cause they didn'y like how he was dressed.

It's not like SW is a suit and tie resturant.
ggraysonlv
GLENN GRAYSON 0
Wow, do I count all 37 comments as being supportive of the ejections? That is amazing. What's more amazing is the tone taken by the "news" story. It was obvious they were trying to stir things up with their "reporting". No even-handed presentation of the issue; that wouldn't be the 4th Estate acting responsibly, now would it?

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

NF2G
David Stark 6
The largest 737 can hold up to 215 passengers. The ATR 717s can only hold about 100.

Even so, kicking half (or probably more) of the passengers off a full flight is quite a bold move for a corporate flight crew. Bravo!

[This poster has been suspended.]

preacher1
preacher1 -2
I'm just going by what the story said. It would have been near full and at 4AM, it bore a 2nd look.

[This poster has been suspended.]

preacher1
preacher1 2
No problem. Have a good evening and tks.
preacher1
preacher1 2
By gab, I blew this one big time.LOL
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 2
Hell yeah, you're in the minus big time. I'll bump u up one, but u gotta find 10 more friends!!!
BentParrot
Ray Irizarry -2
Here we go again. The students and school officials are playing the race and ethnicity card and the airline is playing the stupidity role. Kids, who probably have never flown before don't like to be told to turn off their smart phones and I-pads, etc., because they don't know WHY! Nor do I,really. However, rules are rules, and it's up to the school to forewarn the kids well before boarding - but they don't. On a flight to BOS in January, some years back, the kids left 83 degree IAH in summer clothes. It was 2 below in Beantown. On another evening we left IAH on a 93 degree night in July, and upon arrival in Buenos Aires, the pilot announced a temperature of 28 degrees. The school "leader" said it was Celsius, and that everyone was dressed fine (in tank-tops, shorts, and flip flops for the 80+ degree weather). Were they rudely shocked at EZE baggage claim! The kids didn't know, the school officials either didn't know, or didn't care. But the airline booking the groups had a responsibility too. We know it is not their job to educate the kids. But before they kick a quarter-million dollars out the door, maybe, just maybe, the carrier could see to it that the kids are briefed on how to dress, what to carry, and how to behave. It is sure as hell, no one else is going to teach them.
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 4
They have no responsibility to tell you how to dress, that's what common sense is for!!!

[This poster has been suspended.]

preacher1
preacher1 1
Off and stowed(laptops)to keep from being a loose projectile also
Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
Ray...#1) They all most likely had non-refundable tickets, so the airline would not have been lost the $$$! #2) It is not in the Job Description of any airline employee...especially the flight crew...on giving these young people airline etiquette 101! Obviously, the parents are totally off the radar, as well. #3) & #4) Charlie and Preacher1 closed my comment for me.

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

THRUSTT
THRUSTT 3
Huh???
augerin
Dave Mathes 3
I have no clue what he's babbling about....
jkudlick
Jeremy Kudlick 1
He might be talking about Soul Plane. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR0evTnI4p8

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

augerin
Dave Mathes 3
blake, I think you are on the WRONG site....
JetMech24
JetMech24 0
Apparently nobody but him and I have a sense of humor on this site. It IS funny that it is a "trend" on CNN.

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