Students kicked off a flight during their senior trip are none to happy with Airtran Airlines. One hundred and one students were heading from New York to Atlanta on Monday when they were said to be “non-complaint” with AirTran rules.
Airtran owner Southwest Airlines says the group of “non-compliant passengers” would not stay seated and some were using their mobile devices.
The airline says the students kicked off the flight refused to heed various warnings from flight crew members and even the plane’s captain. The students were eventually asked to leave the flight, the incident delayed AirTran’s departure time for 45 minutes.
Students and teachers at Orthodox Jewish high school Yeshivah of Flatbush tell a different story, claiming that flight crew employees overreacted to the seniors who were looking forward to their trip to Six Flags and then rafting.
Officials for the school say students were told twice to sit down and get off their mobile phones. Chaperones for the trip say the students complied with the request and were on their best behavior from that point on.
Teacher Marian Wielgus tells WGNTV : “They certainly did not do what the stewardess was claiming they did. That’s what was so bizarre.”
Wielgus further claims that the flight attendants acted “nasty” and were “overreacting” to an incident that didn’t exist.
Southwest Airlines is sticking to its guns, noting that the group was violating federally mandated safety regulations.
Wielgus does admit that some students were out of line, but they question why all 101 students were kicked off the flight.
Students on the Airtran flight claim that they were hardly given a chance to turn off their phones or sit down before they were asked to leave. One student claims the move was an act against their Jewish heritage. That student claims that flight attendants were treating the students like a group of terrorists after they realized their religious background.
Southwest Airlines is no stranger to legal battles based of its decision to kick certain passengers off its flight. As The Inquisitr recently reported one man is preparing to sue Southwest Airlines for what he sees as an unlawful removal.
With 101 students kicked off the flight, this is likely not the last we will hear from both groups regarding the matter.