Where It All Started
She attempted to straighten things out as a mom by getting her kid to stop screaming inside the plane. She requested some space, but the flight attendant was indifferent. Instead of offering help in order to resolve the issue, she turned and walked away without saying anything.
Unsplash
When Jodi observed the plane was turning around, she knew it wasn’t over. When the flight attendant returned with her entourage, she knew she’d regret what she’d said.
Off For A Family Visit
After months of isolation, Jodi Degyansky was delighted to meet her family. Even with her rambunctious two-year-old on board, the maiden trip from Naples to Florida went smoothly. A smooth trip with a baby is all a mother could ask for.
Dailymail
The flight attendants seemed to pay close attention to her situation and turned a blind eye whenever her child began to act up. The travel from Florida to Illinois, on the other hand, was significantly worse than she had anticipated.
The Struggles Of Travelling With A Toddler
The plane was jam-packed, and Jodi was a grumpy traveler to begin with. He sat young Hayes in a window seat and put her mask on her. At first, everything was going well until it no longer did.
Daily Mail
Hayes began kicking the seat in front of him very immediately, and Jodi felt a lot of eyes on her. As his breathing became more methodical, he became agitated. She was expecting a tantrum, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Persistent Tantrums
This wasn’t Hayes’ first tantrum, but when the flight attendants came to check what was going on, Jodi expected they’d advise her to keep him quiet. But toddlers are quite persistent, and so, here’s what happened.
A flight attendant would occasionally try to assist, but they were few and far between. Unexpectedly, the flight attendant would confront her. Traveling with a toddler is hard enough already, and having someone constantly watch everything you do make it worse.
He Wants Peanuts!
When the flight crew began to distribute the snacks, she felt much better. She’d promised her small son peanuts, and that was the only reason he’d been fine until now. But things are about to take a sharp turn when something happens.
Conde Nast Traveler
For her son to eat the peanuts, she pulled his mask down with hopes that her son would finally let them travel in peace. She thought this would contain the tantrum, but a flight attendant was eagerly watching her moves from over her shoulders.
Time To Go Home
The plane shifted and started moving as it was time for them to go. Jodi told her son to put the snacks down so that they could prepare for take-off as it might be rough. She did not lack in reminding her son and doing her part as a parent and passenger.
USA Today
Little did Jodi know that the flight would never be as easy as she thought. When she felt that traveling with a toddler during the pandemic was hard, she did not expect this journey home to end in humiliation she had never experienced before.
Getting Annoyed From Being Asked The Same Question For A Couple Of Times
And yet, another flight attendant approached them and asked the same question since they got into the plane. She looked up, exhausted from having to control everything, and responded nicely, “Yes, he will put his mask on before departure. He’s just distracted by the food.” But a more unexpected problem would soon arise.
Daily Mail
It’s significantly more complicated than you may expect to get a toddler to wear a mask. She had gone over and over with her kid to make sure she got it correctly. But it didn’t prove to be so simple.
She Lost Her Cool
A flight attendant approached her once more, asking the same question she had already answered. “Please give us some space,” she pleaded. She might not mean what she said, but the flight attendant took it the wrong way.
Daily Mail
As she looked at Hayes and then back to Jodi, the flight attendant’s eyes widened, and she silently rushed off. Suddenly, the jet came to a complete stop just on the runway. What exactly was going on?
What’s Wrong?
Jodi strained to see out the window, craning her neck. She felt relieved when she sensed the plane’s motion as it began to move again. However, she had no idea that the aircraft was not drawing up for departure.
USA Today
It slowly swung around until the plane’s nose was pointing the opposite way. Jodi’s heart began to rush as she realized the plane had performed a complete U-turn back to the boarding gate.
Filled With Confusion
When she turned to look at the other passengers, she saw a sea of expressions that were just as perplexed as she was. She worried whether something had gone wrong as her anxiety slowly crept.
Los Angeles Times
On this flight, Jodi couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Planes are usually delayed due to severe weather, but the sky was clear today. She looked for the flight attendant to inquire about the delay, but she wasn’t there.
People Around Her Kept Whispering
Jodi then noticed the cabin attendants. They all raced to huddle in the corner of the plane in a covert flurry of activity. She then heard some whispering. It seemed the crew was talking about her and her son.
A few minutes later, the flight attendant reappeared, accompanied by the manager, supervisor, flight attendants, and pilot. However, they had no idea who they were dealing with and what was going to go down.
Heated Confrontation
The flight attendant gave her a smug grin before moving on to Hayes, who had pulled his mask back down. Jodi had a sinking feeling she had figured out what was going on. “We’re trying to get used to it,” Jodi muttered, her gaze falling on her toddler as she pushed his mask back into place. “But,” she protested, “he’s two.”
The New York Times
They didn’t seem to mind that the toddler was having trouble keeping his mask on. They were here to enforce their laws, even though their standards were blatantly skewed. The flight attendant, backed up by every crew member on the flight, told Jodi that Hayes was not allowed to fly and that he had to leave. Now. She looked taken aback as their eyes shined with victory.
Fight Or Flight Response
Jodi couldn’t believe what she was hearing. As the other passengers tutted around her, irritated that their flight was delayed owing to her child’s antics, she felt her face flush a deep scarlet. How embarrassing!
Live and Let’s Fly
In her entire life, she had never felt more startled and ashamed. She vowed to fight by the power of her will alone, stopping the tears of frustration and shame. This was not going to go unpunished. She began to protest as she became aware of all the eyes on her.
Explaining Her Side Of The Story
The airline employees, on the other hand, were not having any of it. They simply refused to listen. The crew ordered Jodi and Hayes to disembark, stranding the enraged mother and her small boy at the airport.
Facebook (JodyDegyansky)
They said they had to force Jodi off the plane because her son wasn’t wearing his mask properly, but Jodi knew that wasn’t the case. Fortunately, someone had taped the entire altercation. Jodi began to devise a strategy.
Stranded In The Airport
Jodi and Hayes were stuck in the airport for the time being. As they sat there, fuming, Jodi couldn’t believe the absurdity of it all. Couldn’t the cabin crew have cut her some slack considering that her son was just two years old?
Daily Mail
Well, she was about to do something that she, as well as the entire crew on that aircraft, would come to regret. It was time for justice to be served and for letting the world know how the crew treated them during their flight home.
Jodi’s Work Experience In A Public Relations Firm
Jodi used to work as a brand manager for Porter Novelli, a large PR firm in New York, before she became the Vice President. This meant that she knew how things worked in maintaining and destroying the public image.
CSR Vision
“Porter Novelli is a firm best renowned for its position in the areas of technology, health and wellness, food, and reputation management,” according to their biography. So, Jodi should have realized how damaging negative PR could be.
Planning To Take Down Southwest
She was more than capable of putting everything together. Jodi carried out her strategy. It was her goal to bring down Southwest Airlines. She sought interviews with the media and told everyone about how the airlines treated her and her son.
ABC News
And the media devoured it. She planned interview after interview, and the narrative quickly gained traction. Her vengeance had all the makings of a public relations disaster.
Getting The Media’s Attention
Jodi entertained a slew of reporters. She expanded her story out and did a fantastic job in her role. After all, she was simply requesting that the airline reconsider its policy of requiring toddlers over the age of two to wear masks on flights.
ABC News
What if more mothers were forced to go through what she did? Naturally, an apology and a refund would be appreciated. Meanwhile, another story was developing that Jodi had not anticipated.
Will The Airline Stern The Tide?
Jodi and the offended Southwest Airlines flight attendants and crew had no idea that one passenger, stunned by what she was seeing, grabbed out her phone and began filming Jodi and her son’s treatment. It didn’t take long for the backlash to come in thick and quick from all sides. Will Southwest Airlines be able to hold off the onslaught?
Business Insider
“I just felt like I can’t believe it happened. I was left scrambling— how am I going to get home?” Jodi said. “What if I didn’t have the resources to buy another $600 ticket?” She also told reports that she felt it was her request for space from the flight attendant that sparked a personal agenda against her. Also, how on earth was her son supposed to eat while wearing a mask?
All I Was Asking For Was Compassion
“I know you have to draw the line,” Jodi told News-Press, “but let’s be a little empathetic with everyone’s particular circumstances.” Jodi was traveling alone with her child, and things were tough to begin with. Having a little compassion towards others won’t hurt a bit, right?
ABC News
She was aware of CDC recommendations that any youngster aged two and up should wear a protective face mask if social distancing is difficult. But she couldn’t figure out why the rules weren’t the same on every flight. “I was startled that the flight attendants were considerably tighter on the way back,” she remarked.
Media Circulation
The footage of Jodi and her kid getting removed from their aircraft began to circulate on social media as she was conducting interviews. Then, with arguments on both sides, netizens began to stir up a ruckus.
The New York Times
Southwest Airlines had to respond now that it had gotten so much attention from the media. Could they ever dig themselves out of this deep hole? Do you think they were within reason, or was Jodi at fault?