Music

Walk Off The Earth singer kicked off flight because her baby was crying

by Richard Howard

Sarah Blackwood, one of the singers of ultra-popular Canadian group Walk Off The Earth, wasn’t her usual upbeat self yesterday – understandably so, as she says she and her 23 month old son were kicked off a United Airlines flight because the child was crying.

According to Blackwood, while she sat waiting for her United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Vancouver to depart, her son Giorgio who was seated on her lap was “crying and squirming.” She says a flight attendant soon came over and told her to control the child (who is also the son of Walk Off The Earth member Gianni Luminati). Though she was apologetic and other passengers “seemed sympathetic,” after momentarily taxiing the plane returned to the gate and the seven months pregnant Blackwood was asked to leave the plane despite, she says, her son now being fast asleep.

Blackwood would later tell Global News a flight attendant apparently gave a report to airline supervisors that the singer had refused to put a seatbelt on her son. While older children must occupy their own seats, United Airlines states on its website that children under the age of two can travel on their parent’s lap. It also states the following: “Children who are not held by an adult and are unable to sit upright with the seat belt fastened must be carried in an FAA-approved infant seat. United does not provide infant seats.” United is yet to comment; however, flight operator SkyWest is apparently mounting their defense on that stipulation, releasing the following statement: “Despite numerous requests, the child was not seated, as required by federal regulation to ensure passenger safety, and was repeatedly in the aisle of the aircraft before departure and during taxi. The crew made the appropriate decision to return to the gate in the interest of safety.”

While there’s a bit of he said/she said going down as to the particulars and the flight’s operator insists it was about regulations and not a crying baby, kicking a seven months pregnant woman and her toddler off a flight ain’t a particularly good look. This is true for any passenger – but you can bet United is really wishing the situation has come to a different conclusion now that they’re aware Blackwood’s band happens to have a massive and fiercely loyal social media following spanning the globe. With news outlets picking up the story, Twitter up in arms and even United’s Facebook page becoming a forum for the public to call the airline a bunch of soulless monsters, they’re definitely dealing with a headache. Way worse than one you’d get from, say, a crying baby.