In a troubling incident, United Airlines caused significant distress for a mother who had already purchased a seat for her 27-month-old son during a flight from Boston to Hawaii. The airline mistakenly sold his seat to a standby passenger, leading to an uncomfortable three-hour journey where the mother, Lisa Johnson, was forced to hold her son, Jack, on her lap.
Johnson had booked two tickets for nearly $1,000 each, ensuring that both she and her son had a designated place on the flight. However, upon arriving for a connecting flight in Houston, she found herself in a distressing situation when a man boarded and claimed Jack’s seat. “I explained that I had purchased both seats,” Johnson recounted to local media. “But the flight attendant simply said, ‘the flight’s full.’”
Fearful of confrontation, especially following the highly publicized incident involving another United passenger earlier that year, she opted to remain silent. “I was anxious. Traveling with a toddler is already stressful enough, and I didn’t want to escalate the situation,” she shared.
Throughout the flight, Johnson struggled to keep Jack comfortable, attempting various positions to accommodate his weight. “I ended up having him in all sorts of awkward sleeping arrangements. At one point, he was just standing between my knees,” she lamented. “It was unsafe and unfair, especially since I had paid for his ticket.”
The cost of Jack’s ticket was not fully utilized, as Johnson was left to manage with a child who weighed 25 pounds on her lap for the entire journey. Meanwhile, the standby passenger who occupied her son’s seat had only paid $75 for it.
In response to the incident, United Airlines issued a statement acknowledging the error: “Due to a scanning mistake, Ms. Johnson’s son’s seat was incorrectly marked as available. We sincerely apologize for this oversight and are refunding the ticket price while also providing a travel voucher.” They further stated that measures would be taken to prevent such occurrences in the future.
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Summary
United Airlines mistakenly allocated a toddler’s seat to a standby passenger, forcing his mother to hold him throughout the flight. The airline acknowledged the error and offered a refund and travel voucher, highlighting the challenges of traveling with children.
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