Mom admits children were restless

PHOENIX - A woman traveling with her four children, including two who are disabled, said they were stranded by Southwest Airlines at Sky Harbor Airport.

She admits her kids were out of control on the flight, but said the airline prevented them from boarding their connecting flight.

Wendy Slaughter and her four kids are just happy to be on the ground.

“I was furious about it,” she said. “I just couldn't believe they could do something like that. Leave us completely stranded with no money, no way to get anywhere.

Slaughter was traveling with her four children and her five-month pregnant sister on a Southwest flight from Detroit to Seattle.  When the plane landed in Phoenix, the family was met at the gate by police officers, detained and then told they weren't allowed to take their connection to Seattle.

“I was horrified,” her sister Jennifer Winnwood said. “I was OK up to that point and then I just started crying uncontrollably. They have this symbol with a heart with wings they have not heart and I'm really mad about it, I mean, cause you know, it was horrible, it was one of the worst experiences of my life.”

Slaughter said this was the very first flight for the children. She admits the kids were loud and kept getting up and walking around the plane.

“The children were a little bit out of control on the flight,” she said. “They were restless and excited and worked up and they're kids.”

Her 10-year-old son is autistic with a short attention span. Her daughter Gracie suffers from Cerebral Palsey. The family said flight attendants asked them to quite the children twice. They didn't expect to be booted off the flight.

“I think they should compensate us for what's happened and I think they should make a public apology,” she said.

A spokesperson from Southwest said in a statement, "The family was being disruptive and unruly on the plane and for the safety of our customers and our flight crew, we decided to not to allow them to travel to Seattle at that time. Typically if it's a threatening behavior it's not safe to travel 30,000 feet in the air, in a contained environment." 

Phoenix Detective Stacie Derge did confirm officers met the flight at the gate and escorted the passengers to an office, where the officers obtained some information and filled out a Federal Aviation Violation form for disrupting a flight.

No criminal charges were associated with the situation, as it is a civil offense, so after answering the police questions they were released.

According to Slaughter, sympathetic police officers donated money for a hotel for the night and some food.