A husband and wife who say they are Silver elite members of United’s MileagePlus program report their family has been banned from United Airlines “forever” because their two year old was unwilling to keep a mask on. The child’s mother, a trainer and health coach, shares on Instagram that they ‘always fly United’ and have flown with their child four times during the pandemic without issue. So why now?
Of course if the child was unwilling to wear a mask when it was required and United’s rules weren’t enforced earlier, that’s on the airline.
The family was flying Denver to Newark on Friday after making the two and a half hour drive from their home in Breckenridge, Colorado. They didn’t get to take their flight, and didn’t get their luggage back right away either. United wasn’t going to delay the flight longer than it took to remove the family’s car seat so they could drive home.
The family’s video has been viewed 2.3 million times in less than a day.
American Airlines by the way is thrilled that this time it’s not them.
Your concerns are appreciated. This was another carrier.
— americanair (@AmericanAir) December 12, 2020
When the family got off the flight, the father asked that they be re-accommodated on another flight in first class. This was refused. He argued that the airline’s policy is ridiculous, since “the virus has a 99% survival rate.”
However United is very clear about their mask rules. The family should have flown Delta, which allows young children unable to wear masks not to do so. Delta flies Denver – New York JFK non-stop.
I’m in favor of mask-wearing, though most of the masks people wear aren’t very good. They may offer limited source protection. Travelers should make an effort to wear better masks. I’m not in favor of kicking off families whose two year olds can’t wear masks. The preponderance of evidence highly suggests that the risk of spread from a two year old is very low.
More problematic is that the family planned to violate New York’s coronavirus restrictions and not quarantine on arrival. The family was flying to New York for the weekend (so not long enough to be released from quarantine requirements) to go see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center and visit with friends who were coming into the city from Cleveland. Perhaps it’s better they turned around.
I suspect that the family was refused transportation on Friday but not yet added to the list of passengers to deny future travel to, and that if they are indeed banned as they report that this will not be ‘forever’ as they believe but until the mask requirement is lifted.
Update: As I expected, despite being told by a United agent that they aren’t welcome to fly the airline, they are not actually banned. That’s not a decision made on the spot at the airport. United offers,
The health and safety of our employees and customers is our highest priority, which is why we have a multi-layered set of policies, including mandating that everyone onboard two and older wears a mask. These procedures are not only backed by guidance from the CDC and our partners at the Cleveland Clinic, but they’re also consistent across every major airline.
We are investigating this specific incident and have made contact with the family. We also refunded their tickets and returned their car seat and bags.
United’s claim, however, that their policy on two year old mask wearing is “consistent across every major airline” is not accurate. It’s similar to American’s policy and Southwest’s. However Delta’s policy says “young children who cannot maintain a face covering are exempt from the mask requirement.”
This is the most absurd abuse of power. The child is 2 years old. Was she tired? Did she have an upset stomach? This whole mask issue has been so overblown that it’s just absurd. All of this is going to come back to haunt the US airlines and quite likely the entire US business community. These shutdowns have devastated the US Economy and congress is playing political games with the relief money.
They just HAD to go to NYC for the WEEKEND to see a Christmas tree?
They wanted to put themselves and others at risk for that?
A two-year-old isn’t going to remember that trip either.
If you can’t follow the rules for mask wearing on United, don’t fly United. Or drive.
Ridiculous. Both the family trip AND United’s reaction to a 2 yr old.
It’s clearly not only United’s rules that this family ignores but also NY’s laws and also sound advice. I would be inclined to disbelieve their account in these circumstances and inclined to think that there is far more to this story than they are admitting. To paraphrase a legal expression, they are coming to the court of public opinion with dirty hands.
I don’t like any of this. I have a 2 year old and I can’t fathom trying to put a mask on him. Even my 4 year old is nearly impossible. With that said, I personally wouldn’t want to travel with them for leisure, especially knowing the rules for age/mask. If I really needed to travel with the little ones during the peak of of a pandemic, I’d probably bite the bullet and fly an airline I normally wouldn’t if their rules aligned with my children that are impossible to mask. Easy for me to say from the comforts of my home.
Their trip to NYC with a quarantine is another issue as is her tearful rant with her mask down still in the airport. Something leads me to believe they might kind of think the rules don’t apply until they get the hammer dropped on them. Don’t mean to character judge, but it’s just something that has crossed my mind.
Slaves refused to wear a mask were killed, it is going to happen soon. What about that 15 days of shut down? Didin’t get better. wake up people. Masks doesn’t work, just see arround, people still get sick of a “plague” of 99% survival rate.
This is about take control of your life, your business and make you a slave.
Having silver status is pretty much irrelevant. I’m sure United isn’t going to give people with the lowest status any special treatment.
This is nuts! People with 2yr old children are obviously above the rules. I almost want to have kids so I can have rules not apply to me. The fact that they brought a 2yr old on a cross country trip durning a pandemic, knowing it can’t wear a mask, and United NOT upgrade them is worse than 47 judges telling Trump and his election legal team to GFY.
Who isn’t going to New York for the holidays? Are we really expected to skip the Rockefeller Center in favor quarantining?
So, basically, the parents are jerks, with zero regard for other people, and no intention of following rules wherever they are. I have zero sympathy for them.
I appreciate the United is going out of their way to keep travelers safe. This family should not have been on United, if they’re not able to follow the rules.
It wasn’t the two year old that got them banned. It was the fact that they wouldn’t have the kid wear a mask, they wouldn’t a mask themselves in the airport, and the father argued it didn’t matter based on covid denialism. It is pretty clear airlines are not banning you because your kid is fussy but you are doing your best…
I highly doubt their removal was because their 2 year old refused to wear a mask. These people are making a non essential trip and thumbing their noses at New York’s quarantine rules for out of state visitors. If they’re taking those kinds of liberties with rules they likely weren’t complying themselves and using their kid as a scapegoat.
100% agree with all the statements about the illegality of this family’s travel. 100% agree that masks are essential right now and anyone who doesn’t wear one is not civically minded and selfish. Also I have a 2 year + 2 week old. She maybe 150 words. Doesn’t understand commands or rules yet. The rule is unbelievably stupid. 4 year old? Yes – you can and should be able to enforce things. 2 year old? That’s basically a baby who can walk. Only way to get her to wear mask would be to hog tie her and duct tape it to her face. Seriously United – go after the 60 year old in a MAGA hat with the mask under their nose!
Just another family of crybaby mask deniers, Good for United! People who spoil their children end up with entitled brats like Don Jr.
@OneXMarine
Face it, you are just upset that your candidate LOST! If the moronic mask-deniers would have followed the science we would have been past this long ago and recovered from the economic downturn.
Its a ridiculous rule and the parents lacked common sense bringing the kid knowing the airline had this ridiculous rule.
The most ridiculous part of the rule is that its not science based as liberals frequently reminds to follow. Transmission by and serious complications for children under age 10 is very rare and the risk is negligible. Science says they should be able to travel and not wear masks. Very low risk to themselves and others.
United’s mask rules are in plain f*cking English on its website. If these people didn’t want to comply with or disagreed with those rules, they didn’t have to fly United. It’s not any more complicated than that.
United is in the right. That family is absolute scum.
I have witnessed plenty of 2 year olds wear their mask better than adults without so much of a whine. But then again their parents are being just that parents. They are not trying to push their “it is my right not to give a crap if I spread Corona” agenda through their kids. When younpurchase a ticket on ANY airline YOU and YOUR family agree to wear a mask the ENTIRE time. If you can’t rent a car or RV and get to moving.
This year we all should pretty much stay put and not travel. I know it is easier said then done.
Because of coronavirus I did the following:
1) postponed a December trip from Arizona to Greece. I would not be admitted anyway. I had to argue that fact with my airline. They relented.
2) I made the difficult decision to not go to Chicago to see my sister and parents. I have not seen them in 1.5 years.
3) my wife chose not to travel to Vietnam to see her parents.
I know it is tough, but perhaps come next year, we can carefully resume, with more people being vaccinated.
It is particularly difficult to travel with children. Perhaps more of a reason to plan further… dotting i’s and crossing t’s… perhaps more then once.
For me, I would travel by car right now, until there are more vaccinated people in the general population.
.
When I flew a gator was not considered a mask so the airline letting several people wearing them is worse than a 2 year old not wearing one.
This family should be cheering this early Christmas gift. Not having to fly United again in your life should be celebrated. What an amazing gift.
Stories like these are hilarious!!! Airlines and private businesses have policies, pure and simple.
Having a child doesn’t make anyone deserving of special treatment – pre or post-Covid. I
The family is a problem. If he wants to argue having a hard time getting a 2 year old to listen, then I have no objections. But case in point his statement of “the virus has a 99% survival rate.” Apparently 3k deaths a day is an acceptable 1% fatality rate to him.
I’m glad to see United enforcing their rules and putting these people in their place. They thought they could flaunt the rules, and they lost. I hate entitled scum like them.
Parent of a just-now-3yr-old. It’s really not hard for them if you have them wear it consistently, also wear it consistently yourself to set an example, and don’t let them go anywhere without wearing one. They catch on.
Example from having to fly to Seattle (and subsequently quarantine with family):
https://i.imgur.com/DYvB02R.jpg
If your a silver member, then you know what the rules are. Even if, as you state, survival rate is 99%, that still means the one person who got sick, misses work and money, has to pay for hospital and possibly be the one percent to die, just so your “privileged “ self can see a tree. Follow the rules like everyone else.
I was convinced that the people were jerks is when I read about how they demanded to be upgraded to first class. The rest just proved that point but the icing on the cake was when they got called out for not following the rules they responded by whining on social media. I feel badly for the kid being brought up by these snowflakes.
These comments are coming from a sheep herd. If they want to travel and wear masks with an unmasked 2 yr old then they should be able to. If they are in good health and are wearing a mask that doesn’t even prevent anything from the people in the row behind them from getting what they might have then let them travel. It’s a ridiculous rule that a 2 yr old has to wear one when most people mess with an irrelevant mask most of the time their wearing it which only helps germs spread from their hands. If your sick stay home and if your at risk stay home. Other than that live your life and protect your self the best you can just like this family did. Nobody knows the right rules but are quick to jump on what the guy on the most inaccurate news channel tells them to do. Wake up people. Keep nana and papa at home and take care of their needs. Other than that, LIVE.
That’s the rules of the Airline no mask no flying period. Drive next time.
The fact that the father asked United for an upgrade to first class on another flight speaks volumes about their character. Clearly opportunists.
United spells out the rules clearly in advance. The rules are repeated at check-in, again during boarding and again multiple times on board.
If they cannot play by the rules then don’t fly. Flying is not a right. The rules are the airlines and they all have them.
They should get a refund on their tickets and donate the money to charity.
Stories like this are ridiculous. They wouldn’t even accommodate the family who are members. All due to their 2-year old daughter over a mask. You should be ashamed at what you wrote. You are a joke. Take your stupid rules and lock yourself in a closet or attic. Anyone who defends this crap is brainwashed. That airline should lose business.
So many Covidiots arguing “b..bu..but…but…the CHILDREEEENNNN!!!”
Ya jerk, a kid (yours, mine and all the rest) are a super-vector of snot and other assorted germ-friendly characteristics. Some people’s kids should be masked even when not in a pandemic.
And the “b..bu…but…but…FREEEEDOOOOMMMM!” argument is just pathetic.
Stop dying, stop killing other people and stop being a selfish ***er.
Peace.
Spoiled Yuppies raising a brat. It has 99% survival rate? Clearly morons who think they are about the rules. Thank you United for enforcing the rules.
Rules are rules. Follow them or stay home.
As a former UA employee, I think it’s unusual for a Customer Service Supervisor to tell a passenger they are banned. That is something that would come in writing from Customer Relations. I think the Supervisor meant they cannot fly with United for that day, which is how they would handle a passenger too drunk to fly. No big deal. Most likely they would be reaccomodated next day in Economy. First is out of the question. But I doubt they are banned for life nor will they be. They will probably get some miles for the inconvenience.
Being in NYC I am absolutely thrilled that these people were thrown off the flight. Its clear they were going to come here and violate the quarantine. Seriously they are talking about how they been flying all around all summer. The guy wasn’t even wearing his mask properly.
First of all, all you people that comment are just fucking retarded following what next person above you says. First of all, its a 2 year old. Do you really expect a 2 year old to follow directions and keep a mask on their face when they don’t even know what their name is? You make other accommodations, you try putting something more breathable and comfortable on their face. Not kick an entire family off an airline. Yeah, ill admit, what they were doing though was pretty shitty in regards to why they were taking a trip and they should have been delt with strictly for that. It’s a kid. Highly unlikely for a 2 year old to spread some puny little cold. Grow the fuck up. Everybody wears masks everyday and yet people are still getting this ” plague “. We shut down a whole economy for a cold. Get over yourselves. I got it even while wearing a mask everywhere i went but that didn’t prevent shit. I barelt had any symptoms. Just a runny nose and a slight body ache. Just like a regular cold. Whatever people are dying from, it’s from their underlying problems they had and this thing just amplifies it. Like the guy said, 99% recovery rate. Id like to see the fucking black death come back and see how everybody would react. All this panic for something so miniscule. Fuck off with this bullshit. All of you.
If the father were sitting next to me with that porous gator over his nose rather than a mask, I would have raised hell. A 2 year old with NO mask- no way. 300,000 DEAD
the parents should not blame the airline for their parenting issue. the parents should not go to airport if they can’t get their kid to follow rules. I understand airlines are being strict, and many people feel the rule is not necessary. but, these parents are letting the child do as the child wants, which means they are not being authority over the child as they should be.
I agree with BR. Most of you are sheeples. 20 years of the best science shows that masks don’t stop the transmission of respiratory viruses. Ridiculous rules. But so many of you are so gullible. You attack this family instead of the fascist authorities implementing these non evidence based rules. Wake up people before you give all our rights away!
Something about Newark that gives this story a whole different twist .
United let a 20 year old keep.his mask off on the whole flight while he ate candy.
Parents were lucky and got away with it the previous 4 times, but their luck finally ended. Dumb rule IMO trying to get a 2 year old to wear a mask, but at the time, the parents should of have been prepared for this and instead flown an airline with a more reasonable and forgiving mask policy for kids, like Delta.
Whomever turned this into a political thing and saying go after the 60 yr old in a MAGA hat and other similar comments are just ignorant at best and add absolutely zero value to this conversation. Reminds me of schoolyard kids with, “well my mommy or Daddy etc.say” when they have nothing else to say. You all resort to making judgement of something you don’t have all the facts, but show your true colors when you offer up such hateful suggestions about elder people because of their political fees. Hmmm. Feel like I’ve read of someone like that before back in school.
World has gone mad. 99% survival rate yet whenever my patients come to my office and see me without a mask they are terrified. Been seeing patients ever since it all started with no mask, still haven’t gotten sick of anything and I’m 68. Whole thing is politics unfortunately.
We’ve decided not to travel on planes since January because it’s just not worth the risk of getting Covid, and there’s much to enjoy doing day-trips in Colorado, but if we did then this could have easily been us with our very independent toddler.
Toddlers don’t understand or give a flip about airline policy. You could offer a toddler $1B in cash to simply wave to you and there’s a 50/50 chance they’d shut you down. They aren’t terrible children, their responses are just very random. A 2 year-old’s mind isn’t developed enough to understand this, and no reasonable parent is going to straight-jacket their child for hours, hence this is a dumb UA policy.
They want attention and a lawsuit period.
Silver status, talk about wannabe irrelevant individuals. Maybe if they were global services they’d have some merit to complain lol
As a long-time teacher—and mom and grandmom—I’ve come upon many young parents with the mindset “My child has ‘rights.’ I’ve endured many sleepless night flights due to kids’ incessant hollering and crying. Please understand, this is not the time for lollipop power. Folks, if you can’t get a mask on that child of yours, plan to leave him/her home with sitters, or don’t travel at this time. Your inconsiderate behavior is a health threat to all on the plane.
As a long-time teacher—and mom and grandmom—I’ve come upon many young parents with the mindset “My child has ‘rights.’ I’ve endured many sleepless night flights due to kids’ incessant hollering and crying. Please understand, this is not the time for lollipop power. Folks, if you can’t get a mask on that child of yours, plan to leave him/her home with sitters, or don’t travel right now. Your inconsiderate behavior is a health threat to all on the plane.