Delta has become the latest airline to suffer a PR storm after yet another seating debacle.
The airline has been forced to apologise to a couple on the flight from Maui, Hawaii, to Los Angeles, who were told their two year old son could not occupy a seat, even though his father had paid for it.
Brian and Brittany Schear were involved in the dispute with staff over whether their toddler was allowed to sit in a seat originally booked for their 18-year-old son, who had caught an earlier flight.
The two parents were also told by staff that they could lose their children over the row.
On a video of the incident posted to YouTube, Schear wrote in a caption: “You will hear them lie to me numerous times to get my son out of the seat. The end result was we were all kicked off the flight.
“They oversold the flight. When will this all stop?”
On the video, Schear can be heard talking with a person off-camera and after he says that he will not leave - the airline will have to remove him.
Someone can be heard to reply: “This is a federal offence and then you and your wife will be in jail and your kids will be in foster care.”
Schear protests that he bought the seat.
The family eventually got off the flight and other passengers took their places.
The Schears stayed in a hotel and flew home the next day.
A Delta spokesman said the flight was not overbooked.
Delta Airlines said in a statement it was “sorry for the unfortunate experience,”
“Delta’s goal is to always work with customers in an attempt to find solutions to their travel issues. That did not happen in this case and we apologise.”
According to Reuters, Delta said it had contacted the couple to refund their travel and provide additional compensation.
It comes after United Airlines suffered a storm of bad PR when a video showing passenger David Dao being dragged off a United Express flight sparked widespread outrage.
Dao, a 69-year-old from Kentucky, US, was seen with a bloodied face after being forcibly taken off the plane by Chicago airport officers who had been summoned by United employees when he would not give up his seat.
The airline was lambasted around the world for a series of PR blunders in the wake of the incident.
Speaking after the incident, United chief executive Oscar Munoz originally appeared to blame Dao, before issuing a new statement which said: “The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment.
“I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened.
“Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologise to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way.”