I read in my news this morning an Associated Press story about a sixteen-year-old girl who was removed from an airplane by the captain because she was having a “coughing fit.” According to the brief story, the teenager had been on a school trip to New York and was on a plan with her teachers and classmates in Newark, NJ to return to Hawaii. After a doctor on the flight said she would be fine to make the trip, and a flight attendant brought her water, the captain kicked the girl and one of her teacher’s off the plane, despite the girl’s tears and shock.
According to the news story, it was Continental Airlines and they defended the captain saying the captain felt he was acting in the best interest of the passenger and other passengers on the flight.”
Now, I’ve definitely been on airplanes, trains and buses with people who were coughing (and who hasn’t been that coughing person in church or the theatre?) and while it’s definitely annoying, and I know that I start to worry that I will get some dreadful germs–I don’t think it warrants a person getting kicked off–especially a child. What’s next–removing crying babies? Disabled people? People with annoying voices or bad hair? I guess it was only a few months ago that the young mother was kicked off an airplane for breast-feeding her child.
I think the very nature of public transportation means that we have to take into account and have patience with all the realities of humanity–crying babies, coughs, etc. Obviously, this girl wasn’t a threat to safety or at any health risk. Now, the airline has all the bad press and the girl has likely been traumatized. Well, now you know how I feel about this little current events story, what do you think?