A family heading to birthday celebrations in Las Vegas say they were kicked off a JetBlue flight after an argument over a birthday cake they had brought onto the plane.
Cameron Burke told New York Daily News on Saturday that the dispute began after he boarded JetBlue Flight 611 with his wife and two kids on May 3 in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. He initially stored the cake in the overhead bin, but he said he moved it down when asked to do so by a flight attendant. Burke said he and his family were asked to leave the plane after a second attendant told him off, and Burke questioned whether the attendant had been drinking.
“She said I was being non-compliant,” Burke told Daily News. “I said, ‘Miss, have you been drinking?’ Because her behavior was irrational and she stormed off.”
JetBlue confirmed the incident to Daily News, but said the removal was justified because the passengers’ “behavior demonstrated a risk for additional escalation in air.” The company also said that the passengers cursed and shouted at the crew and “refused to speak with a team leader about the situation.”