JetBlue apologizes to mother for mistreatment after child urinates in seat
BOSTON - Newton mom Jennifer Devereaux received an apology from JetBlue, after CBS Boston's story Friday night detailing her humiliating experience aboard a flight that left her young daughter in tears.
"She said 'I am a mom too. I understand what you're going through and I am so sorry this happened to you,'" Devereaux explained. "It just felt so good to hear those words from someone from that company."
Last week, Devereaux was traveling with her two daughters on board JetBlue Flight 518 from New York to Boston. A flight attendant refused to let her 3-year-old daughter Summers use the bathroom even though the plane was delayed on the tarmac.
The toddler was forced to urinate in her seat. "It wasn't about bad customer service at that point; it was about bad human decency. My daughter was sitting in a pool of urine and I couldn't do anything about it," Devereaux told CBS Boston. "And as a mom it just broke my heart."
When she got up to clean the mess, Devereaux said the flight attendant yelled at her and reported her to the pilot. The pilot turned the plane around and started to head back to the gate. He announced over the loud speaker that there was a non-compliant passenger on board, and they were bringing her to security.
An off-duty pilot, who was sitting two seats in front of her, came to her defense and convinced the crew to let her stay.
Devereaux says JetBlue apologized Saturday and offered her a $50 credit and $5000 to the charity of her choice. "I am so happy this all turned around for the good," Jennifer said.
The JetBlue representative also told her that employees will be better trained to handle situations like hers.
"They said they will be doing some sensitivity training with the crew and some teaching about how to work better with children," Devereaux.
After her story first aired, she said her phone hasn't stopped ringing.
"I don't care about a voucher, that kind of stuff doesn't really matter to me," Devereaux said. "But I did want an apology for my family because we really felt like we were mistreated and we felt awful about it."