Seat-Kicking Incident Causes JetBlue Booting, Confusion

Image: PHOTO: JetBlue A320. (photo via Flickr/Eric Salard)
Image: PHOTO: JetBlue A320. (photo via Flickr/Eric Salard)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 12:40 PM ET, Wed July 19, 2017

A family of five is seeking answers and an apology after being booted from a JetBlue flight.

According to WPLG, Brooklyn natives Tamir Raanan and Mandy Ifrah and their three young daughters were asked to leave a July 2 flight from Fort Lauderdale to New York after their one-year-old began kicking another passenger's seat.

Ifrah said she apologized to the passenger and resolved the issue before the flight attendant approached and instructed the family to get off of the plane.

"The plane, at that point, just turns back around, goes back to the gate, and security from JetBlue gets onto the flight and tells me and my family to grab our things and get off the plane," Ifrah told WPLG.

While the family contends they were simply asking for an explanation, JetBlue claims they were making threats.

"After a verbal altercation that included physical threats and profanities against a nearby customer, the aircraft door was reopened and our airport team politely asked the customers to step off to discuss the situation. The customers refused repeated requests and our crew members deplaned the entire aircraft. Law enforcement escorted them out of the gate area and we provided a refund," JetBlue said in a statement.

"The customers were not removed due to the actions of their children. We are investigating whether the customers' behavior warrants restrictions on JetBlue travel and we thank our crew members for their professional handling of this unfortunate incident."

Ifrah denies JetBlue's account.

"That's not true at all. My baby must have been kicking the chair. I mean, she's-at that time-she needs a bottle. She's tired. She's cranky. It was just embarrassing. It was horrible."

[READMORE]READ MORE: JetBlue Boots Family Over Cake[/READMORE]

The family said JetBlue originally told them to find overnight accommodations in Florida and that they would be booked on another flight the following day. However, Ifrah claims they were later informed that they were banned from all future flights amid the airline's ongoing investigation.

What's more, Ifrah said the family's luggage was left on the plane, leaving them without their belongings. It took a week to be returned to New York.

Parts of the exchange between the family and flight attendant were caught on camera.

[CALLOUT]

Ifrah said the family would simply like an apology from JetBlue.


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Patrick Clarke

Patrick Clarke

Senior Editor

A Maryland native and wanderer who has lived across the U.S. from North Carolina to SoCal, Patrick Clarke graduated from Towson University with a B.S. in journalism. He previously worked for Bleacher

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