Mother Says Toddler Forced To Urinate In Seat On JetBlue Flight
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- JetBlue is facing some harsh criticism from a mother who claims her 3-year-old was not allowed to use the bathroom, which led to the child having an accident in her seat.
As CBS 2's Jessica Schneider reported, it all happened on a flight from New York to Boston.
"It wasn't about bad customer service at that point; it was about bad human decency," Jennifer Deveraux said. "My daughter was sitting in a pool of urine, and I couldn't do anything about it. And as a mom, it just broke my heart."
Deveraux said she and her toddler were mistreated on board JetBlue Flight 518.
"We were basically treated like animals being forced to sit down," she said.
Deveraux said the incident happened during the flight's delay on the tarmac Monday at JFK Airport.
The plane sat, waiting to taxi, for 30 minutes. That's when Deveraux's daughter, Summer, started crying and told her mother she needed to use the bathroom.
The flight attendant refused the request, Schneider reported.
"She snapped at me, 'No, sit down,'" Deveraux said.
Summer was forced to urinate in her own seat.
"Because the girl didn't let me go potty," Summer told Schneider.
Deveraux said when she got up to clean the mess, the flight attendant yelled at her again.
"And I said, 'Please give me a break. My daughter had an accident because you wouldn't let me take her to the bathroom. After I clean it up I will sit down.' She turned around and reported it to the pilot," Deveraux said.
The pilot turned the plane around and went back to the gate, announcing on the loudspeaker that there was a noncompliant passenger on board, Schneider reported.
An off-duty pilot sitting two seats in front of the pair came to their defense and convinced the flight crew to let her stay.
One passenger tweeted his disgust, saying "Wow @JetBlue. I'm a Mosaic member and I've had great experiences, but everyone on Flight 518 should be fired."
"I'm so thankful for him and other passengers speaking up for my family's defense," Deveraux said. "I don't want them to do this to any other families. An apology would be really great."
Deveraux said she wrote JetBlue a complaint letter and they gave her a $50 credit for her trouble.
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