Delta Intimidates Family Off of Plane, Threatens Jail
The airline industry continues to bully passengers across the country. This could happen in Houston, and in Texas.
The airline industry continues to bully passengers across the country. A southern California family was threatened with jail and having the children taken from the parents if they refused to give up their seats. Coming on the heels of the United Airlines dragging of an unconscious passenger from a flight, it’s a clear case of a lesson not learned: you don’t strong arm passengers off your plane for a higher paying customer.
Removing a Baby From His Seat
The Schear family from Huntington Beach, California had finished a Hawaii vacation and was preparing to fly home on Delta Airlines. As reported by KABC-TV in Los Angeles, Brian Schear’s eighteen year old son had been scheduled to fly back with the family, but instead took a flight the day prior so that two year old son Grayson could fly in his place, seated in his car safety seat which was then secured in the airplane seat rather than on Brian’s lap. They explained everything to the airline at check in and all seemed acceptable. After they had boarded, an airline employee told them that Grayson had to vacate the seat and ride on his father’s lap because the airline was bumping him in favor of another passenger.
“You Need To Do The Right Thing”
Brian Schear was shocked. “You’re saying you’re gonna give that away to someone else when I paid for that seat? That’s not right,” he replied. He was told that the child was not allowed to fly in the car safety seat, even though he had done so on the flight to Hawaii previously, and both the Delta and FAA websites encourage safety seats for young children.
After strenuously objecting to no avail, he finally agreed to hold his son on his lap for the lengthy flight, only to be told that it was too late, because he had objected, the entire family had to leave. The timing of this put the family in a terrible dilemma. In a case of dark irony that you couldn’t make up, the family had to fly the next day on another airline also with a reputation for using strong arm tactics, United Airlines.
That was around midnight, and the couple and their two toddlers were left having to scramble for a hotel room and pay $2,000 for another flight the next day, on United.
Threatened With Jail And Losing Their Children
The last insult was when the Delta employee told them that they could be jailed and their children put into protective custody if they didn’t comply. This type of bullying and intimidation had a sobering effect on Brittany Schear,
“You have to give up the seat or you’re going to jail, your wife is going to jail and they’ll take your kids from you,” Brian Schear recalled the airline staff telling him.
Despite feeling they were in the right, that threat was terrifying, said Brian’s wife, Brittany Schear.”As a mother, you have a 1-year-old and a 2-year-old – it doesn’t matter whether that’s true or false. It put fear in me,” she said.
The high drama of the moments are captured in this riveting video by KABC-TV in Los Angeles.
[videosingle id=”7612″ width=”100%” height=”400″ rel=”false” /]
Enough of this! The Callahan Law Firm stands ready to pursue justice on behalf of people abused by profit hungry airlines.
The similarities to the United incident end with the family walking off the plane as ordered, but Brian Shcear’s admonition to the airline staff to “do the right thing” reminds of the words of United president Scott Kirby saying stockholders wanted them to “do the right thing”. There’s a clear pattern here that seems to be missed by the airlines.
Overbookings have made the public feel like commodities with a dollar sign on their back, to be swapped on and off the plane to maximize profit, no matter the trauma or disruption to the passenger.
If you’ve been abused or suffered loss in some way by an airline or other company, The Callahan Law Firm is here to help you get justice. Let our experienced attorneys give you a free evaluation of your case.
Contact us today for your free case evaluation.
Michael S Callahan is an attorney and founder of The Callahan Law Firm. He focuses his practice on representing individuals and families in personal injury cases involving motor vehicle and truck accidents, workplace accidents and defective products. With over 25 years of experience, he is dedicated to fighting on behalf of people whose lives have been forever altered by the negligence and carelessness of corporations and individuals. Originally trained as a mechanical engineer, Michael has been practicing law and fighting for justice for those who need it most since 1994. He is board-certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a member of various esteemed legal associations. Outside of work, Michael enjoys spending quality time with his family, outdoor activities, and continually striving to improve as a trial lawyer and human being.
