<p>Give the captain an award. I was recently on a flight from Rome to NY. A half dozen HS kids coming home from a program were loud and doing similar things. Since it was just a small group the staff got them settle enuff to take off but several in my row never turned their phones off. So I can just imagine a 100 hyped up kids and what a headache that could be. Kids seem to think using their phone is some constitutional right. The many sad accidents caused by phone use indicate some don’t listen.</p>
<p>Hunt - I wondered that, too, but they were dressed like any typical group of high school kids. They didn’t look unusual / distinctive, which makes the charge of “they discriminated because we’re Jewish” all the more obnoxious IMO.</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, this isn’t just an issue with HS kids or even undergrads. I’ve had to ask adults in their 50s and 60’s to turn off their cell phones during movies/theatrical performances as the noise/light from ringers and texting can be quite distracting for other audience members.</p>
<p>There seems to be a trend where people in general don’t seem to understand that in some venues like classrooms, libraries, movie/live theater, etc…one should ideally turn off one’s cell phone. </p>
<p>If one’s on call, put phone on silent/vibrate and take the call outside to avoid disturbing others.</p>
<p>Well the twitter responses sure don’t make me feel sorry for these brats. My kids take long distance trips with their school (very small private) and they are not allowed to bring any electric devices with them. On a bus trip to dc (20hrs long) my DD wanted to take her Kindle and was told no; while I didn’t agree it didn’t matter because those were the rules and we teach our kids to obey the rules. I hate the fact the kids and adults are choosing to pull a race card rather than address the bad behavior of the few that caused them to be kicked off.</p>
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<p><a href=“http://gothamist.com/2013/06/05/brooklyn_yeshiva_students_take_to_t.php[/url]”>http://gothamist.com/2013/06/05/brooklyn_yeshiva_students_take_to_t.php</a></p>
<p>I’m loath to stereotype anyone, but the kid with the rings on his hat, was obviously the ring leader.</p>
<p>Seriously-It appears that they were just very excited. But right or wrong as soon as one pulls into the airport, civil liberties are suspended.</p>
<p>“It seems like a bit of an unnecessary stretch to hypothesize that the yeshiva students might have been drinking. Where is the evidence that these students were doing so? Not a generalization form other studies, but any evidence that these students were drinking before their 6 am flight?”</p>
<p>I noted it would be a bit early in the day for that. (The fact that they were yeshiva students is absolutely irrelevant.)</p>
<p>You cannot go from group to individual data. To wonder if they were drinking seems unnecessary. </p>
<p>** They said they were there at 4 am. That does fall into the “a bit early” category for sure.</p>
<p>^I don’t know…when I graduated from undergrad there were bars in town that would give free shots if you showed up in your cap and gown. At 6AM.</p>
<p>I doubt that was an issue since these kids are fairly young and they were going to be traveling and with chaperones all day…just saying, it’s possible.</p>
<p>Well hey, HGFM, welcome back!!</p>
<p>Sure, anything’s possible. But its not likely. It wasnt graduation day. No cap and gown. And they are HS’ers. There were 100 kids who had to be packed, the large group organized and at LaGuardia with enough time to all get checked in, boarded, etc. Doubt there was much time for a tall one anywhere. </p>
<p>Again, how they acted was inexcusable, whether they were overtired (more likely) excited or just plain obnoxious. But to postulate that they were drinking seems unnecessary, even if that is one’s perspective from their line of work.</p>
<p>Thanks! 
Finding myself with a little more free time now that it’s summer and I “just” (I say that lightly, as I’m working Orientation and will soon be swamped with that) have my NODA internship to deal with.</p>
<p>I would say overtired is much more likely; I know I get delirious and everything is HILARIOUS when I’m exhausted. It gets to a point where you can’t take me anywhere unless I get some serious coffee or sleep.</p>
<p>I was offended by all their grins in the picture they took of themselves after getting asked off the plane. They look like they took it as some joke. The plane was delayed, the passengers inconveienced, maybe some even missed a connection, Atlanta being such a hub for connecting flights. And these students are laughing like it’s all some lark. They need to grow up.</p>
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<p>The above is American Airlines’ provision in its Conditions of Carriage on when they can kick you off. I’ll see if I can find those for AirTrans. HERE it is <a href=“Southwest Airlines | Book Flights, Make Reservations & Plan a Trip”>Southwest Airlines | Book Flights, Make Reservations & Plan a Trip;
<p>FWIW-- at my high school (in the era before air was invented) there was a group called the Friday Morning Drinking Club and, yes, there were incidents where kids vomited in the bathrooms BEFORE school started.</p>
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If that is a picture AFTER they got kicked off, they don’t look too stressed. With the ubiquitousness of cell phones, I’m surprised one of the other passengers (non-student) doesn’t have video that would allow us to make an independent judgment on their behavior…</p>
<p>Drank before getting in the horse and buggy? ;)</p>
<p>My point is, anecdotal stories do not necessarily explain the behavior of THESE kids in THIS situation, and hypothesizing that they may have been drinking, with nothing other than knowledge of drinking behavior in teens in general is, IMO overstepping.</p>
<p>The article with the photo says : “The 101 Brooklyn Yeshiva students kicked off of a AirTran flight on Monday for allegedly not turning off their cell phones have, predictably, taken to Twitter to air their grievances.
The students then had to deal with a series of flights (which they avoided any trouble with the pilots on), and eventually made it to Atlanta for fun at Six Flags.”</p>
<p>Glad to hear they had learned to straighten up and fly right.</p>
<p>Southwest, now the owners of AirTran, is notorious for enforcing rules. People are denied boarding if they’re intoxicated, made to buy an extra seat if they can’t fit in one with the armrests down, etc. One of the reasons I do enjoy flying Southwest.</p>
<p>And as I recall, failing to comply with the orders of the flight crew is not just a violation of airline policy and private contract to carry. I believe it’s also a violation of Federal law. Just sayin. . .</p>
<p>jym626-- I actually agree that it is an unwarranted assumption in any particular case without something to back it up for that particular incident.</p>
<p>I have a sneaking suspicion that the early morning red-eye crew was happy to see 100+ kids deplane. I did notice that the AirTrans conditions of carriage state that if they remove a ticketed passanger they will provide them vouchers, so I speculate that the pilot and crew were careful to make sure the decision was “by the book.”</p>
<p>Personally, I think “examples” have to be made on occasion. It is always worse when the example is you or your kids.</p>
<p>I can just imagine the possible conversation between the flight crew and the people in the AirTrans group travel section. “Send us 100 kids at 6 am and YOU come provide the in-cabin, in-flight service!”</p>
<p>I don’t think they were drinking either. I think they were a group of overtired, excited, and out of control kids. I personally think that identifying their ethnicity wasn’t necessary. Any kid from any background is capable of behaving well or not.</p>
<p>Living in Brooklyn and attending a Yeshiva, these kids have no idea how it feels to be in the minority, but in situations where Jews are in the minority, there is a tendency to judge people by the behavior of a few individuals. This kind of thing is embarrasing to me because it calls attention to a few badly behaved kids and never acknowleges the well behaved people- of Jewish and all backgrounds- who travel by plane, and could result in negative perceptions.</p>
<p>It is understandable that an airline crew requires absolute compliance from passengers for their own safetly. There was a recent case where a plane landed to disembark a woman who would not stop singing when asked to. In both cases the problem was the non-compliance of the passenger to the crew and the rules.</p>
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<p>Did the kids go to Atlanta just for Six Flags? There is a Six Flags in Jackson, NJ–a mere 1 hr and 30 minutes drive.</p>
<p>From the linked article in the OP:
“The students were on a three-day trip that was to include a rafting excursion and a visit to a Six Flags theme park.”</p>