Father, toddler removed from plane for violating federal law, airline says

ORLANDO, Fla. — A father and his daughter were removed from a flight after the pair were told they were violating airline policy when the little girl wanted to sit on her father’s lap.

“They will arrest you; I’m telling you that right now,” a flight attendant told Rose, WSB-TV reported.

Chrisean Rose recorded a video of flight attendants threatening him with arrest while he was holding his 25-month-old daughter, Rayana.

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Rose told WSB-TV that he had purchased a seat on the Frontier Airlines flight for his daughter, but the little girl didn’t want to sit in it.

“She’s a small kid; she’s nervous,” Rose told WSB-TV. “I explained to the flight attendant that this is only our first time traveling and she’s a little bit nervous.”

The flight attendant insisted that Rayana needed to sit in her seat, and when Rose had difficulty getting the child to do so, things escalated. The plane had been taxiing but was returned to the gate where both Rose and his daughter were forced to get off the plane, WSB-TV reported.

In a statement to WSB-TV, Frontier Airlines said: “It is an FAA requirement that all passengers over the age of 24 months must be buckled into their own seat for takeoff and landing. The parent refused to comply and therefore was asked to exit the aircraft with the child.”

“Babies don’t understand policies,” Rose told WSB-TV. “I do not think it needed to be that far. I mean, arrest for what? For a kid crying?”

Rose told WSB-TV that the pair’s initial flight to Orlando for the weekend had been on Spirit Airlines, which had allowed Rayana to fly on his lap without issue. Rose told the station that after the issue on Frontier, he bought another ticket from Delta, and Rayana sat with him the whole time.

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