Drama has ensued after a family was removed from Allegiant Flight 608, traveling from Punta Gorda, Florida, to Indianapolis, Indiana. During boarding, the couple was asked for their baby’s birth certificate, which stressed the baby and caused it to cry.
An airline employee then accused the baby of having a fever, but the mother, Syd, who works as an ICU nurse, denied this and said the baby was simply upset.
Despite her explanation, the family was asked to leave the flight shortly after taking their seats. An employee told them the decision came from MedLink, the airline’s medical information service provider. The staff said the baby looked feverish due to redness and an alleged rash on its back, which the parents denied. Another passenger, Jessica Brennan, who filed a complaint, backed the family up and said it was clear to everyone that the child was just a fussy baby.
According to BroBible, Syd later explained on TikTok that it had been hot and the baby had made a mess while eating, so they had removed the child’s shirt. A worker then approached and asked for the baby’s information, calling the child an “unidentified infant.” No one from the airline physically checked the baby or took its temperature. They simply kept saying the baby “looks red and it looks like a rash.”
Allegiant rebooked the family before the 24-hour window was even up, which undermines its own reasoning for removing them
The aftermath was difficult for the family. Allegiant booked them on the next available flight, which was not until 11:00 AM the following morning. The airline didn’t provide their luggage, a car, or accommodations for the night. Syd says they were given “an unclaimed car seat that has no padding and isn’t age-appropriate.” Airlines making bizarre claims that block passengers from boarding have become a growing concern for travelers.
Syd and her family did make the second flight without any issues. On board, they were given extra legroom and refreshments. They were also told that if the infant had truly been sick, they would have needed to wait 24 hours before flying again. However, Allegiant had rebooked them on a flight before those 24 hours were up, which directly contradicts the reason they were removed in the first place.
When Syd tried to get answers or compensation from Allegiant, the airline refused to compensate the family, would not email any policies on traveling with infants, and would not connect her to a supervisor. She missed a night of work, could not pick up her other children on time, had to pay for an extra night for her pet sitter, and spent more on airport parking. She is asking for an apology and a refund.
Allegiant Air released a statement saying its crews prioritize the safety and well-being of all passengers and may consult MedLink when there are concerns, especially with infants. The airline stated they “do not make medical diagnoses, and flight attendants are not medical professionals.”
@quarantinecutiee @Allegiant Air We were unable to fly back home to Indiana with Allegiant on Friday 3/27 at 9pm due to a baby being naturally pale and red in the face from crying on a plane. First they didn’t believe our babies birth certificate from Indiana at check in and they had several people look at it. We went through TSA just fine no issues. We boarded our flight like normal. Before boarding we took off babies shirt because she was hot on the flight from Indy to Florida we figured she’d probably be sweaty then too. She had also just ate baby food. Anybody with a child knows they are messy. They removed the gentleman in the aisle seat told him there was a seat up front away from kids. The whole two rows we were in were full of children and their parents. Someone in a vest came onto the plane and ask for our boarding pass again. I handed it over. They then asked me how old the baby was, her name, her birthdate and went back by the bathrooms and kept talking into the phone and walkie talkie. They called her an unidentified infant over the walkie. Then they told us a flight attendant reported us for a baby being feverish… said medical professionals wouldn’t clear her to tly and that we were going to have to get off. Nobody would come and see her. Nobody on the flight was required to have a temperature checked. Nobody would even come and take her temperature. They said well she looks red and it looks like a rash. Several other babies were on the flight and also crying. We were told to get off the flight or police would take us off of it even though we weren’t arguing or cussing. As we walked off we asked again why are we getting kicked off the plane and they stated we weren’t getting kicked off. I asked to speak to a supervisor. I told the lady I’m not mad at you I’m mad at the situation. Im not complaining about you specifically. A supervisor wouldn’t come and talk to us in person only on a phone. We got on the next flight they had which was 11am the next day. No accommodations, no car to get around, no place to stay other than to call family back to grab us from the airport again. We were so lucky we hadn’t been just in town by ourselves. We waited an hour for them to drive back and grab us. We have no luggage as they wouldn’t grab it off the plane. No car seat or stroller for the baby. They gave us an unclaimed car seat that has no padding and isn’t age appropriate. Car seat was way too big had to hold her head the whole ride back to Kyle’s grandparents house because it was too big. We missed work the next day, had to get our pet sitter to stay another day, didn’t get to pick up our two other kids that were at dads for spring break and missed our foster care class which was the only one that aligned with our schedule for the next two months. We got on our next flight no issues. When we checked in they did state usually you can’t tly tor 24 hours if there’s illness when I asked if there were notes in for the night previous for when I called customer care. However we were put on the next flight 12 hours later. They even tried to make it better putting us in priority boarding and extra leg room which we didn’t care about. We chose the back of the plane on purpose, less windows, it’s usually darker for the baby to nap, and usually other people with kids chose the back. There was such a difference in the second flight sitting up front. Everyone was so much nicer and friendlier. We called Allegiant and they just keep telling us we are not able to get any sort of compensation for our time or experience. They wouldn’t email or give me any policies on traveling with infants and they wouldn’t connect me to a supervisor of any kind. @Allegiant Air also if you’re just here to make comments about a baby being naked or there being more to the story get fucked
♬ original sound – Syd
It added that MedLink advised “it was not in the child’s best interest to continue travel,” and that the family was rebooked and “provided accommodations intended to help ease the disruption to their travel plans.” Syd disputes this. She says there were “no accommodations in place” and that “extra leg room” does not help when a family is stranded without a place to stay, food, or transportation.
She says she felt “publicly humiliated” and was given an “unsafe car seat,” while being unable to speak with anyone in a higher position. Social media responses were divided, with some siding with the airline and others supporting the family.
One commenter from the same flight said they felt “terrible” for the family and praised how calmly they handled the situation. Disruptive passenger behavior mid-flight, like a traveler repeatedly pressing the call button for a non-emergency, shows just how tense the airline experience can get for everyone on board.
