ORLANDO, Fla. – A mother and her 6-month-old son were removed from a Spirit Airlines flight at Orlando International Airport after a flight attendant said the baby was ill.
The incident happened Friday as Evelyn Circeo said she was trying to return home to Boston.
Circeo told News 6 her baby spit up formula in the restroom shortly before the flight. When she boarded the plane, she asked for an aisle seat.
"I asked one of the flight attendants, if possible, if I could have an aisle seat because he had spit up," she said. "It’s just more convenient to be on the outside with a baby."
Circeo said another flight attendant told her she needed to leave the aircraft because her baby was sick.
"I said, 'What are you talking about?'" Circeo said. "Somebody said that 'your baby is too sick to fly?' I said, 'What is wrong with my baby? Nothing's wrong with my baby. He spit up. He’s a baby being a baby.'"
Circeo said she walked off the airplane as other passengers urged the flight attendant to let her stay on board.
At the ticket counter, she said she found out her luggage -- full of her baby's things -- was still on its way to Boston without her.
"I let them know I only had two bottles on me and three diapers, which I needed for the duration of the flight. I wasn’t planning for anything more," she said.
She said Spirit offered to put her on the next flight, even though the flight attendant claimed her baby was sick.
Circeo said she refused the offer and didn't return home until early Monday.
News 6 asked Spirit Airlines why Circeo was removed from the plane.
"(The flight crew) made the tough decision to remove the guest and her baby for the health and safety of all on board," spokesman Derek Dombrowski said. "We are sorry for the inconvenience this caused. We are working directly with the guest to resolve any concerns."
Dombrowski said the airline refunded Circeo's flight. The airline requested all of her receipts for her incidentals and they've also offered her two roundtrip plane tickets for her trouble. Airline officials said they're unsure if she's going to accept them.
