By Paradise Afshar, Janine Stanwood – ABC 10
A woman claims that she, her husband and three children were kicked off a JetBlue flight from Fort Lauderdale to New York on July 2 without any explanation.
The family’s attorney, David Templer, said that his clients, Tamir Raanan and Mandy Ifrah, who live in Brooklyn, were heading home after attending a wedding when their 1-year-old daughter, Eden, began kicking a passenger’s seat.
Ifrah said she apologized to the passenger, and they exchanged words before the passenger changed seats.
That’s when a flight attendant came over to Ifrah’s family and asked them to get off the plane, the family said in a media release.
Video: Family kicked off flight
“The plane, at that point, just turns back around, goes back to the gate and security from JetBlue gets onto the flight and tells me and my family and I to grab our things and get off the plane,” Ifrah said in an interview with Local 10 News.
JetBlue said that the adults in the family were making threats, and it was their actions that caused them to be taken off the plane.
“After a verbal altercation that included physical threats and profanities against a nearby customer, the aircraft door was reopened and our airports team politely asked the customers to step off to discuss the situation,” JetBlue said in a statement. “The customers refused repeated requests and our crew members deplaned the entire aircraft. Law enforcement escorted them out of the gate area and we provided a refund.”
JetBlue said the family was “not removed due to the actions of their children.”
“We are investigating whether the customers’ behavior warrants restrictions on JetBlue travel, and we thank our crew members for their professional handling of this unfortunate incident,” the statement said.
Part of the exchange with the flight attendant in the plane was captured on video, as was their interaction at the gate. In the video, Raanan and Ifrah repeatedly ask for an explanation, and the flight attendant tells them they need to call the airline for further information.
A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy stepped in shortly after that exchange and defused the situation.
“Ifrah said JetBlue told the family that they would be booked on a flight the next day, but they would need to find overnight accommodations,” a media release sent on behalf of the family said. “However, JetBlue did not remove their luggage from the plane, leaving them without clothes and baby supplies.”
The family claims when they arrived the next morning for their flight, a JetBlue representative told them that they were banned from all future flights while the incident is under investigation. The family also claims they weren’t given a reason for the airline’s decision.
In addition, the family said that their luggage was not in New York when they arrived home and that it took a week before their bags were returned.
As for JetBlue’s account of what happened, Ifrah said it’s false.
“That’s not true at all,” Ifrah said. “My baby must have been kicking the chair. I mean, she’s, you know, at that time, she needs a bottle. She’s tired. She’s cranky.”
Ifrah said she would simply like an apology from JetBlue.
“It was just embarrassing,” Ifrah said. “It was horrible.”
I saw a headline on a major news site stating a family had been removed from a plane for a child kicking. Intrigued, I clicked, and after that first article, read more than ten from different news agencies. Not one, anywhere, actually says they were kicked off because the toddler kicked other passengers. From the articles (I wasn’t there), it appears the child was disruptive, and that might have been the origin of the issues. Anyhow, something was said, a passenger was moved to another seat (not something that happens regularly without something having happened), the cabin crew was alarmed… Read more »
This is riddiculous!!
It’s true that there are always 2 sides…… I’m a mother with kids and sometimes it just takes a few minutes to calm kids…… listen to the mothers voice she feels hurt an insulted…. how would u like someone to say tie the kids feet? Control ur kid! Imagine if the mother did that! She would be arrested for child abuse! Anyways I do think as a Jewish family if these things are already publicized we should defend. … our family!!
Well, reading all the previous comments with the understanding that the family concerned were Israeli Jews. Personally, I beiieve that Israelis can be a bit ”touchy” and outspoken and-if the child was continuously kicking the rear of the seat-and I’m sure the parents would have been aware this would-at the very least-been causing some discomfort to the passenger in front (and chose to ignore this obvious fact), which is both a lack of consideration and ignorance. We all know when young children are tired and or hungry,which this child probably was-they can get irritable. It was the parents responsibility to… Read more »
Yeah, well Jews, frum or not, are not generally known for their politeness and empathy for other passengers, particularly on long haul flights. Of course there are notable exceptions. But small children are unpredictable, and cannot help their behaviour. There should be understanding on both sides, but no-one likes having the back of their seat being constantly kicked. I doubt that racism was the issue.
People seem to be arguing that it’s ok for the Jewish family to physically threaten other customers. Good for Jet Blue for taking a stand against some nasty and rude people.
Some of the comments on here are vile.
Its not a question of frumness (28) or Brooklyn (so must be guilty)
Its not a question of Jeiwsh or not – so stop making it out to be anti-semitism.
The rest of you who judged, wait until 120 years and see where you end up.
I’m not sure how frum they are. Beautiful family but not acting with derech eretz seems.
Spot on! Our sense of entitlement, especially when you’re from Brooklyn is pathetic and disgusting and an affront to everything that is pure and sacred. Stop making everything race, religion, sex. It’s nonsense! Stop feeding into the Liberal Left agenda and talking points. We’ve become what only 20 years ago was unheard of, what we most detested. Like the Gemara says, during times of Moshiach Chutzpah Yasgi v’Yoker Yaamir!
I agree with the majority, that there are some facts missing. Regardless of those missing facts, just from the video I will tell you that the couple was rude and disrespectful, by refusing to step off the plane to discuss the situation. The couple refused multiple times when asked, causing them to disembark everyone from the plane. It has nothing to do with race, that family was rude. I thought they were rude by there actions, before I knew they were Jewish. Please also notice that the supervisor is also a minority, he was very polite and professional during the… Read more »
When a Jew gets into any type of argument with any person or organization that is not Jewish…as Jews, he have a responsibility to defend and support our fellow Jews, which all have a piece of Hashem in them, litterally (Ch.2 of Tanya). It is our job to be creative and find ways to assist of fellowmen
We were not there so we really don’t know what happened, maybe the child did kick the person, because some people can not control there kids, and not everything that happens is antisemitizim, Jet blue is one of the best airlines
I agree with those that said we don’t know what happened prior to this video. Can’t make a judgment call without knowing all of the facts involved!
Who needs ’em?
If it works you could get a good compensation, and if not they woun`t charge you anything.
In this situation it seems that the airline is at fault, however it is not right how people take advantage of airlines to get attention and money like for example a week after the doctor was pulled of the United flight there was a woman on American Airlines crying because she checked in her stroller and she wanted it back in the cabin. Are you kidding me? You checked it in you don’t get it back till baggage claim at destination!
As we all know as Jews many times we get special attention for that.
This sounds like an attendant who hated Jews who lied to aircraft and made a commission just to get them off.
Yes Jetblue is a good company usually this seems like antisemitism.
I myself saw once such a case happen on another well known airline. So before taking the company’s side and blaming your fellow yidden please find out the whole truth as it can very well be true what they’re saying
This airline does the right thing. Control the Wilde chayas and you won’t get kicked off!
You can hear the other passengers that is sitting there by her saying that nothing happened so I think that the airline is wrong.
Also if she was such a threat to anybody why would they allow her luggage to stay on the plane?
I think the family made issues, they keep trying to pull the children card. Cmon. It’s jet blue, they’re the best!
Classic jewish guilt story. Dot be rude and be respectful to those around you.
if everyone was removed from flight for lack of civility, planes would be empty. so telling a mother to tie her childs legs together is okay, but lashing out at horrid woman is not.
in some way i’m sure it is anti-Semitism, poor little Hispanic getting back at people he probably dislikes. is this the best jet blue could do to nullify the situation, a small poorly spoken person who also doesn’t listen to common sense
i get it that they were upset, but the parents sounded pretty aggressive and bully-like to the poor steward, who was just doing his job. does that imply how they might have behaved on the plane prior to being asked to leave??
i really have a hard time believing that just because of some child’s kicking, they were thrown off the plane.
I don’t like the title! The family was removed because they were obviously rude and obnoxious. Not because they were Jewish. If you research you will find another 5 min Video of them speaking to the Supervisor. And based on that Video I dont underestimate the Parents from being Aggressive, and Rude to other Passengers and Staff. I was not there, so this is just my humble opinion based on there Aggressive Nature and Un-Willingness to Co Operate on any sort of Level. This Title is a just a Cheap Play on the “Race Card.” I think Jet Blue acted… Read more »
could be anti-semitism involved, but always be prepared to board a plane with well-rested, well-fed children and prayer for a successful flight!
may have back, neck or shoulder problems that was suffering from the child’s kicking either. Be prepared to manage young children well before boarding a crowded plane. Or consider flying 1st class. You can’t expect a angel like Rebbitzin Groner to be on every flight. Hatzlacha!
Why is this an outrage at all?
1. It’s NOT a Jewish issue at all by any stretch of the imagination.
2. If they indeed threatened them physically the it’s Totally reasonable to remove them.
Why do we always need to cry wolf? Relax people.
Okay count to 3…Ready.
Nobody here knows what happened.
It’s either justified or not.
Why do you have to form an opinion.
You need not form an opinion on everything you read.
Let that sink in. It’s liberating.
What does COL have against Jews to highlight “A Jewish Family” A Jewish family should act differently.
The reference that they are Jewish is implying that it’s a racial incident. It makes no difference what nationality or religion this family is associated with. The airline has a right to remove any passenger they deem to be a threat or disruptive to the flight or the passengers, period. As the story stated, this couple exchanged words with the other passenger, and that is what prompted the airline to throw them off. The airline could not determine that the escalation of words and argument would have ceased for the remaining portion of the flight, and due to a possible… Read more »
The lady said that ‘nothing physical happened” implying that there indeed was a verbal altercation. The other party told them to “tie their children’s feet” and I can believe that the response was probably the cause of this whole situation.
Still strange how JetBlue finds tying up children’s feet totally fine…
Being Jewish has nothing to do with this incident. That’s what makes problems for ourselves
The video does improve squat .if he used threats against another passenger he had it coming
Now I can’t fly United, delta or jetblue. Because they have no morals.
Are there any other airlines we can fly with?
What words were exchanged by the parents and the other passenger? It they were threats, then the airline may have been justified. Something is missing here….
Have no idea what happened, but if the family is correct it would seem they have just cause for legal redress. Only one concern though. There are cultural differences that can sometimes make Israelis and others misunderstood.
They are so racist
Jet blue has great customer service and the parents made a fool of themselves.
Some reason I am siding with Jet Blue, being the parents had a unpleasant Brooklyn attitude and could not listen instead of arguing and making a huge commotion