Anyone who’s ever been in the vicinity of a toddler knows how they don’t always want to do what they’re told. So it’s not that surprising that a three-year-old didn’t want to comply with instructions to buckle up on a recent flight. That act of childish defiance got him and his dad booted from an Alaska Airlines flight, claims the boy’s father.

MyNorthwest.com says the man and his son were seated in coach while his wife and other son were up in first class on a flight out of Sea-Tac International Airport. The young boy got a bit squirmy before takeoff, and didn’t want to stay seated with his seatbelt on.

“He was crying, being cranky,” said the dad. “I started putting him in his seat. I put his seatbelt on. But he was being cranky, trying to be close to me, so he wasn’t fully fastened yet.”

The man claims he called his wife back to help him out, and they eventually got him quieted down with a pacifier and some water. But meanwhile, the plane had taxied back to the gate.

He says an Alaska Airlines rep asked them to get off the plane, but didn’t explain why they were having him leave. The airline said it was a judgment call, and that the pilot preferred to deal with the issue on the ground than mid-flight.

The airline offered to rebook them on a later flight, but the father says he’s never going to fly with Alaska Airlines again.

Antsy toddler kicked of Alaska Airlines plane [MyNorthwest.com]

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