http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2335936/100-Jewish-students-kicked-AirTran-flight-New-York-refusing-away-phones.html
A large group of Jewish high school students have been kicked off a flight after some refused to turn off their cell phones for take-off.
The school party of 101 students and eight chaperones were removed from an AirTran flight on its way to Atlanta, Georgia from New York City on Monday at 6am.
Some have claimed that the airline overreacted to the senior students' actions with one saying that they were targeted for being Jewish.
The disruptive scenes were on board an AirTran flight, owned by SouthWest Airlines.
SouthWest Airlines confirmed to MailOnline that 137 were on board the flight at the time when 109 passengers were asked to leave.
Teachers, who were with the group from the Yeshiva of Flatbush in Brooklyn, claimed that airline crew had over-reacted. The chaperones were also removed from the flight.
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Immediately after being taken off, one student tweeted: 'BIG SCANDAL!' to several news outlets.
Many of the Twitter and Facebook posts have now been removed and accounts locked.
One student later told CNN: 'They treated us like we were terrorists; I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m not someone to make these kinds of statements.
''I think if it was a group of non-religious kids, the air stewardess wouldn’t have dared to kick them off.'
MailOnline was awaiting a comment from SouthWest Airlines on this allegation.
His teacher and chaperone Rabbi Joseph Beyda said the flight attendant was flustered and just told them to get off the plane.
However another passenger Brad Rinschler, who was sitting in business class, told CNN he did not see any anti-Semitic behavior.
Mr Rinschler, who takes the commuter flight three times a month, added: 'There was not one ethnic slur from anyone on the flight crew or anyone who was inconvenienced for two hours.'
He said the students were given several chances to comply with the airline regulations - and even ignored a warning from the pilot over the intercom.
In a statement to MailOnline, SouthWest Airlines said: 'Our crew, responsible for the overall safety of AirTran flight 345 from New York LaGuardia to Atlanta... had a group of non-compliant passengers leave the aircraft before departing the gate.
Reports from flight attendants and other customers confirm some passengers in the group would not sit down in their seats and some were using their mobile devices.
'Both are violations of Federal Air Regulations, as well as our policies. The crew, led by the Captain, asked several times that the passengers comply with regulations.
'The issue ultimately delayed the flight’s departure to Atlanta. All members of the group were accommodated on other flights this morning.'
But school officials had a different account.
Rabbi Seth Linfield, executive director at Yeshiva of Flatbush, said the school was still investigating but the adults on the trip said the students weren't behaving that badly.
'Preliminarily, it does not appear that the action taken by the flight crew was justified,' he said in a statement.
He said the school had taken similar sized groups in the past without incident, NBC News said.
One of the chaperones on the flight, Marian Wielgus, said the airlines 'blew it out of proportion.'
'It was a mountain out of a molehill,' said Wielgus. She said some students may have had to be told twice to sit down or turn off their phones, but everyone listened, CNN said.
'They certainly did not do what the stewardess was claiming they did,' she said. 'That's what was so bizarre.' She called the flight attendants 'nasty' 'overreacting' and 'created an incident when there didn't have to be one.'
The airline ultimately put the students on other flights, but it took 12 hours for some to reach their destination via transfers that took them as far out of their way as Milwaukee, Wis.
The class trip to Atlanta involved activities including whitewater-rafting and a day out to Six Flags.
Several comments were posted on the school's Facebook page in a backlash to the students and teachers' complaints.
Sarah Anderson wrote: 'Seriously, a ''scandal'' your students say? Pff, a bunch of spoiled kids who have no respect for anyone it seems. Good riddance from the plane and poor pilot who had to fly them later.'
Another Wilma Wilcox commented: 'AirTran did the right thing. These kids owe the flight crew and other passengers an apology!!'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2335936/100-Jewish-students-kicked-AirTran-flight-New-York-refusing-away-phones.html#ixzz2VMWvHjnc
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A large group of Jewish high school students have been kicked off a flight after some refused to turn off their cell phones for take-off.
The school party of 101 students and eight chaperones were removed from an AirTran flight on its way to Atlanta, Georgia from New York City on Monday at 6am.
Some have claimed that the airline overreacted to the senior students' actions with one saying that they were targeted for being Jewish.
The disruptive scenes were on board an AirTran flight, owned by SouthWest Airlines.
SouthWest Airlines confirmed to MailOnline that 137 were on board the flight at the time when 109 passengers were asked to leave.
Teachers, who were with the group from the Yeshiva of Flatbush in Brooklyn, claimed that airline crew had over-reacted. The chaperones were also removed from the flight.
More...
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Immediately after being taken off, one student tweeted: 'BIG SCANDAL!' to several news outlets.
Many of the Twitter and Facebook posts have now been removed and accounts locked.
One student later told CNN: 'They treated us like we were terrorists; I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m not someone to make these kinds of statements.
''I think if it was a group of non-religious kids, the air stewardess wouldn’t have dared to kick them off.'
MailOnline was awaiting a comment from SouthWest Airlines on this allegation.
His teacher and chaperone Rabbi Joseph Beyda said the flight attendant was flustered and just told them to get off the plane.
However another passenger Brad Rinschler, who was sitting in business class, told CNN he did not see any anti-Semitic behavior.
Mr Rinschler, who takes the commuter flight three times a month, added: 'There was not one ethnic slur from anyone on the flight crew or anyone who was inconvenienced for two hours.'
He said the students were given several chances to comply with the airline regulations - and even ignored a warning from the pilot over the intercom.
In a statement to MailOnline, SouthWest Airlines said: 'Our crew, responsible for the overall safety of AirTran flight 345 from New York LaGuardia to Atlanta... had a group of non-compliant passengers leave the aircraft before departing the gate.
Reports from flight attendants and other customers confirm some passengers in the group would not sit down in their seats and some were using their mobile devices.
'Both are violations of Federal Air Regulations, as well as our policies. The crew, led by the Captain, asked several times that the passengers comply with regulations.
'The issue ultimately delayed the flight’s departure to Atlanta. All members of the group were accommodated on other flights this morning.'
But school officials had a different account.
Rabbi Seth Linfield, executive director at Yeshiva of Flatbush, said the school was still investigating but the adults on the trip said the students weren't behaving that badly.
'Preliminarily, it does not appear that the action taken by the flight crew was justified,' he said in a statement.
He said the school had taken similar sized groups in the past without incident, NBC News said.
One of the chaperones on the flight, Marian Wielgus, said the airlines 'blew it out of proportion.'
'It was a mountain out of a molehill,' said Wielgus. She said some students may have had to be told twice to sit down or turn off their phones, but everyone listened, CNN said.
'They certainly did not do what the stewardess was claiming they did,' she said. 'That's what was so bizarre.' She called the flight attendants 'nasty' 'overreacting' and 'created an incident when there didn't have to be one.'
The airline ultimately put the students on other flights, but it took 12 hours for some to reach their destination via transfers that took them as far out of their way as Milwaukee, Wis.
The class trip to Atlanta involved activities including whitewater-rafting and a day out to Six Flags.
Several comments were posted on the school's Facebook page in a backlash to the students and teachers' complaints.
Sarah Anderson wrote: 'Seriously, a ''scandal'' your students say? Pff, a bunch of spoiled kids who have no respect for anyone it seems. Good riddance from the plane and poor pilot who had to fly them later.'
Another Wilma Wilcox commented: 'AirTran did the right thing. These kids owe the flight crew and other passengers an apology!!'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2335936/100-Jewish-students-kicked-AirTran-flight-New-York-refusing-away-phones.html#ixzz2VMWvHjnc
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