Flying with kids is often a real pain. Trying to keep your kids entertained and busy while being confined for hours isn’t always easy. Desperate parents will do whatever they can to keep things as chill as possible. But sometimes, that comes at the cost of other passengers’ comfort. Recently, families came to blows on an EasyJet flight over this very thing. And a surprising movie is at the center of all the drama.
The Sun reported on the incident, which took place on an EasyJet flight traveling from the Canary Islands to London. A 5-year-old boy traveling with his family was watching the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid starring Jaden Smith, on his iPad. According to his mom, he wasn’t wearing headphones, but had the volume on low.
“This incident involved racial abuse, discrimination, and physical assault,” the mom told the outlet.
Allegedly, a woman sitting four rows ahead of the family on the plane wasn’t having it. She apparently “racially abused” the boy, yelling at him to turn off the movie. When the 26-year-old mom “challenged” the woman, her partner grabbed the mom’s partner by the neck. The assault victim is allegedly disabled.
“My son was left extremely scared and distressed,” the mom said of the incident.
The pilot and crew of the EasyJet flight stepped in, and the incident forced the pilot to make an emergency landing in Porto, Portugal. As a result, both families have been banned from flying the airline in the future. Both families had to figure out other ways to get home.
For the last nine months, the mom has made complaints to the airline. She believes they owe her support, but she hasn’t gotten any response. Sources told The Sun that both families were aggressive with the flight crew.
EasyJet released a statement, shared by The Independent. “Safety is our highest priority and our cabin crew are trained to ensure that the safety of the flight is not compromised,” the statement reads.
“We do not tolerate disruptive behaviour and will always take appropriate action against any passengers who are disruptive onboard, as we did in this case.”
