October 15th 2024.
Charlene White, a panellist on Loose Women, recently shared a concerning experience she had while traveling with her children. She revealed that when she was about to board a flight with a major US carrier, she discovered that they had assigned her a seat away from her two kids, Alfie (7) and Florence (5). This news came as a shock to Charlene, and she was not willing to accept it.
In an interview on Alan Carr's Life's a Beach podcast, Charlene admitted that she had no problem speaking up and raising complaints. She even went as far as telling the crew that she would not board the flight unless they found a way to seat her next to her children. She reminded them of aviation law, stating that it was illegal to separate children from their parents on a flight. Charlene stood her ground and made it clear that she was not going to back down.
However, according to Which, there is no UK law that requires airlines to seat children next to their parents on a plane. In fact, it is within their rights to separate children under the age of five from their parents, although this goes against the guidelines set by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The CAA suggests that young children and infants should ideally be seated in the same row as their accompanying adults. If this is not possible, they should be separated by only one seat row. This is to ensure a speedy evacuation in case of an emergency.
The CAA also notes that in the US, there is no legal requirement for airlines to seat children next to their parents. However, the Department of Transportation is currently working on a new law that would make it mandatory for airlines to seat parents and children (13 years and younger) together, free of charge. Charlene, who had no qualms about speaking up for her rights, believes that parents should not be separated from their children on a flight, as they are the ones responsible for their safety.
This incident is not an isolated one, as other celebrities have also spoken up about their experiences with seating arrangements on flights. Singer Lily Allen, in her podcast Miss Me?, revealed that she once flew first class while her 13-year-old daughter Ethel traveled in economy. TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp also shared that when flying as a family, her children would sit separately from her and her husband if they were not in economy class together. She believes that children should not get used to luxury and that it is important for them to have something to work towards.
Kirstie recently sparked a debate online when she shared that her 15-year-old son had gone on a three-week interrailing holiday without an adult. This raised questions about whether children should be allowed to travel alone at such a young age. It seems that Charlene, Lily, and Kirstie are not the only ones who have concerns about this issue. The Agency has contacted the major US carrier for a statement on the incident. If you have a similar story, you can reach out to the entertainment team by email or by visiting their Submit Stuff page. They would love to hear from you.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
