[rgoetz]

I just wanted to voice my outrage about Southwest airlines and the fact that they did not protect my grandchildren when they were flying with them.

My grandchildren were flying Southwest airlines, Flight 3938 from San Diego to Denver on 8/1. We requested them to be unaccompanied minors, but southwest said no as my oldest Granddaughter is 16, the other two are 11 and 9. When they were put on the plane, Southwest split the kids up, placing the two youngest away from the oldest and placing the oldest next to a strangely acting man. During the flight, the man took out a roll of tape. The flight attendant noticed it, but didn’t say anything. Then the man handed my oldest granddaughter a magazine. When she accepted it, he grabbed her hands and taped them together. Although they screamed for a stewardess, no one showed up. The youngest one went over and had to bite through the tape to get it off of her wrists. Finally the flight attendant shows up and moves the kids to a new site. Then she says I saw that guy with the tape and thought he was strange.

When the plane lands – Southwest lets the guy off the plane, never calls police and THEN lets the kids go to the baggage area unattended. The guy follows them which prompts my grandkids to turn around and request that someone take them to baggage claim. Southwest STILL did not detain that man. After spending several hours with Southwest, my daughter-in-law was told she could have credit towards another flight, of which she refused.

The next day my daughter-in-law spent the day on the phone and then went to the Denver southwest terminal to get someone to deal with this issue. She is so worried that this crazy man is doing other things to other kids. Southwest would not deal with this.

She has contacted Homeland security and now the FBI is interviewing the kids and are looking to press two charges of minority assault when they find the guy. Airlines need to keep people and especially kids safe on their airlines.

With all these cutbacks with airlines – child safety should not be one of them.

Thank you for listening.

[pattis]

My only thought on this is that if this truly happened it would be all over the national news.....please show me where I can find this info online. Because then, and only then will I believe any of this at all.

[Silent Bob]

I'm sorry but no I don't believe this. Because even if the flight attendents didn't help, I'm sure someone on that plane would have, and that guy would have to be arrested when they landed. No way they would have just let the guy walk without someone raising some hell. A story like this would have definitely been all over the news.

[rgoetz]

Hi,

I sent this to Fox News and have not received a reply. I've posted this everywhere I can post it.

The FBI has been very active with this case as the District Attorney has agreed to prosecute.

My position - the FBI is expending resources to resolve this, Southwest is conducting an internal investigation as well. So someone is believing it.

Also, I cannot post all the details due to the investigation, but what I did post is true.

[abutterfinger25]

Not sure if I truly buy this story either. I have not come across anything on it in the course of the past few days. Besides, Southwest does not "assign" seats so they would not have "assigned" a seat for the 16 year old next to anyone. The children would have been able to choose their own seats.

And if they arrived at the gate and let an agent know that the three children were traveling without an adult (even if they were not under the carrier's unaccompanied minor program), Southwest would have allowed them to board the aircraft between the "A" and "B" groups and then they would have been able to find a row together.

Regardless of my believe in the validity of the story, I am glad that both Southwest and the authorities and looking into the case.

[rgoetz]

The kids were placed into the seat by the Stewardess. Southwest was told they were travelling without an adult other than a 16 year old. This was the first time these kids flew by themselves as well. They went where Southwest put them.

Southwest blew it all the way across. Buy it or not - the FBI does.

[The_Judge]

Big ooooooops to Pattis, butterfinger and SilentBob. Here is a story I found which seems to be what the OP is referring to.

Tue Oct 7, 9:13 PM ET



DENVER - A 29-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly binding the hands of a teenager sitting next to him on a Southwest Airlines flight and trying to tape her older sister's hands as well.

The U.S. attorney's office said Ezra Wallace has been charged with two counts of assault aboard an aircraft for the incident on a San Diego-to-Denver flight on Aug. 1.

According to an arrest affidavit, Wallace and the two teenage sisters were seated in the same row on the flight. Officials said Wallace did not know the girls.

Before the plane took off, he allegedly tried to take a photograph of the older sister, who was seated in the aisle seat, but she covered her face. During the flight, the younger sister, who is 16, said Wallace took out some pre-torn strips of white athletic tape from his backpack and used a figure eight pattern to tie her hands together with the tape.

The older sister managed to free her sister, tearing off the tape with her teeth. Afterward, Wallace allegedly tried to tape the older sister's hands to those of her younger sibling, according to the document. A flight attendant who saw what was happening then moved the two girls to a different row with their brother.

Wallace was allowed to stay on the Denver-bound flight, and the FBI interviewed the 16-year-old a week later.

According to the affidavit, Wallace said he was "drunk and blurry" during the flight because he drank about a half-pint of vodka beforehand.

The federal public defender's office, which is expected to represent Wallace, said it could not comment because lawyers hadn't received information about the case yet.

U.S. Attorney spokesman Jeff Dorschner said Wallace's arrest was delayed because of "investigative work" but wouldn't elaborate.

Wallace remains in custody in Colorado.

Not all complaints are embellished. I am probably the first to doubt alot of customers and this one was just an odd one. I personally had doubts about it so even though I didn't post them, my apologies and best of luck to you and your grandchildren in this case.


Here is the link to the story.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081008/...8F9uG3nDxH2ocA

[jimworcs]

Sometimes we doubt that bizarre incidents occur, but it is a bizzare world.... but when we get it wrong, we should admit it and say sorry! I didn't post my doubts, but I too thought it was dodgy..so I am sorry

[Silent Bob]

Hey I'm one to admit it when I'm wrong and it looks like I was wrong, so yes an apology is in order. But given the craziness of the story, it just seemed so off, and even more surprisingly that no one did anything until well after the fact. again my apologies and i hope this guy gets his comeuppance (or however that's spelled)

[bah humbug]

I saw this story on the news yesterday. Crazy! I hope your grandchildren are ok.
I do believe that the flight crew should have had the police meet the aircraft upon arrival and had the man questioned, other than that I don't know what more they could have done.
The fact is, it is a crazy world. It is unfortunate that your grandaughter sat next to a crazy person, but it could have happened anywhere, or on any airline. The flight attendant did move her, I don't know what else she could have done at that time.
Thousands of children fly alone on every airline every year with no problem. So to say that the airline as a whole is unsafe for children is a bit much.
It is an awful incident that should have been handled better.

[countrynewsman]

I think the reason others did not believe the story is that it was unbelievable that the Southwest crew did not act. Knowing that it is, in fact, the case, I do not I want my grandchildren to fly alone on Southwest.