ive not heard about this story but i think it was wrong because 3 yr olds are going to misbehave if they are bored and juding by the airports around here and the length of time you can be waiting around i think they were out of order, but the parents should have known how to control the child because it must have been pretty bad for them to get kicked off a flight.

yes they've got all the other passengers to think of and as long as they refund the flight its fine, anyway they should be able to keep the kid under control.

Absolutely right. If they couldn't control their 3-year-old in 15 minutes, then they don't deserve to fly. they were given their money back, which is more than fair. Here is a link to the story: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/23/ap/strange/mainD8MR4NTO1.shtml

Yes - I actually think that the airline went above and beyond to accomodate the family. They refunded their tickets and gave them free travel. (Maybe if I pinch my kid and make her fuss, I can get the same thing?) My parents flew with my brother and I from when we were infants on Trans-Atlantic flights. At age three, we would NEVER have gotten away with refusing to get in our seat and fasten the buckle. There are FAA regulations in place for the safety and well-being of all customers. The plane is not supposed to take off until everyone is in their seats. Had that child been injuried during take off or in the air, they run the risk of having to land the plane before reaching the destination. And with the size of the child as compared to the thrust of a plane on take off,she could have easily been hurt by falling, toppling or rolling around the cabin. Air travel is BIG money and the fines that an airline would incur for violating FAA regs could be HUGE. Additionally, there are ALL the other passengers on the plane to think about. The parents pitched a fit, but if they could not get their child to behave in 15 minutes, what evidence do we have the minute 16 or 17 would have been the charm? And that minute 17 did not stretch in to minute 20 or 30? The "rights" of the traveling family stop where they collide with or interfere with the rights of all those other passengers.