Sisters Kicked Off Plane Miss Chance To See Dying Father

DELAND, Fla. (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) - Two sisters say they were kicked off an Allegiant Air flight after authorities deemed them a threat, and it cost them the chance to see their dying father.

It happened Monday as Debbie Hartman and Trisha Baker of DeLand, Florida, were on the plane in Orlando, waiting to take off for North Carolina.

"I just wanted to see my dad," Debbie Hartman said.

Baker tells CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG she got a text message that her father had just hours to live.

"I didn't know if my sister was getting the same text, so I thought 'I need to go back and tell her,"' Baker said.

Baker says she went to tell her sister, but a flight attendant told her to sit down.

"She said 'You need to sit down.' I said 'Can I just sit here. I just want to console my sister. We just got word that my dad's dying," Baker said.

Hartman said she had a panic attack, and the situation escalated.

Baker accused the flight attendant of not being compassionate.

"She said, 'You're being very rude. My father is dying and I'm comforting her.' And they said she needed to keep her personal problems off the plane," Hartman said.

The captain was alerted and airport security escorted them off the plane.

Their father died shortly thereafter.

"I don't think they should keep their jobs, to be honest with you," Hartman said. "They don't have a heart. They didn't care that I wasn't going to see my dad."

In a statement, Allegiant Air said "We rely on our crew members to oversee a safe environment for every passenger." The statement went on to say "We expect that authority to be exercised both judiciously and consistently, with empathy and with good judgment."

Allegiant officials said they are investigating.

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