The Loose Women star and ITV News presenter revealed that she got into a disagreement with American Airlines staff when recently flying with her two children, Alfie and Florence
Loose Women panellist Charlene White revealed she refused to get on a flight if she was separated from her children, telling airline crew they would be breaking the law by doing so.
Charlene, 44, told the American Airlines staff that it was “illegal” for her to sit away from her children when flying, saying: “Don’t mess with me.” The ITV star, who shares children Alfie, seven, and Florence, five, with partner Andy Woodfield, said she wouldn’t get on the flight until staff sorted it out.
Chatting with comedian Alan Carr on his Life’s A Beach podcast, she told him: “I’ve got no problem with complaining about stuff. I almost refused to get an American Airlines flight two months ago because they split me up from my kids, which is illegal.
“So then I reminded them of aviation law and said to them they sort it out or I’m not getting on the flight and they will have to put me on the next flight with my children. Don’t mess with me. You’re not allowed to be split up from your children because if something happens.”
She explained that she would need to help them with their breathing equipment and life jacket, should the worst happen.
Charlene added: “If there’s an accident and the thing comes down, you can’t necessarily trust a stranger to do that for you so legally you have to sit with your children. And they were trying to tell me that’s not true, and I said ‘I think you’ll find it is’.”
According to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), although it’s not illegal to separate children and parents, as well as any other vulnerable person, it does go against the organisation’s guidelines. This is because it can impede evacuation efforts as parents will be trying to get to their children.
The CAA’s website reads: “Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults. This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children.”
Meanwhile, American Airlines states they will “assign seats a few days after you buy your tickets so children under 15 are next to at least one adult” they’re travelling with.
In contrast to Charlene, presenter Kirstie Allsopp previously told The Sun that she often buys seats away from a children, in a different area of the plane, admitting her and her partner sometimes fly business class, while her kids sit in economy.
She pointed out that she doesn’t want to ‘spoil’ her kids, adding that the money she saves means her family can “take a shed load of holidays”.
Kirstie said: “Club class should be huge treat that you’ve worked for. If kids get used to Club class what do they have to work towards?”
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