Mom of Twins Wins in Strange Case Against American Airlines

Airline refused to let toddler sit in her own seat, so she ended up on stranger's lap
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 2, 2023 1:30 AM CDT
Updated Nov 5, 2023 10:35 AM CST
Mom Wins After Airline Won't Let Child Use Seat She Paid For
FILE - In this March 31, 2020 file photo American Airlines planes are parked at Pittsburgh International Airport in Imperial, Pa. American Airlines reports earnings on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023/   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)

A mom of twins emerged victorious after suing American Airlines because the airline refused to let one of her toddlers sit in a seat the family had purchased, then failed to refund them for the unused seat. Erika Hamilton used 9,000 of her airlines miles to book seats for herself and one of her 18-month-old twins on a Portland, Oregon, to Tallahassee, Florida, flight; she booked the other twin as a free "lap child." The February flight had a layover in Dallas, and the trio had no issues on the Oregon-to-Texas portion of the journey, USA Today reports. Upon boarding the plane that was to take them to Florida, however, Hamilton says a flight attendant told her that children under 2 years old are not allowed to sit in their own airline seat without a carseat, and though Hamilton pulled up rules showing that information was not accurate, the flight attendant wouldn't budge.

The woman sitting behind the family offered to hold the other twin on her own lap so they could make it to their destination, and thus the child's seat went unused. But when Hamilton sought a refund, American only offered a $75 voucher, which is when she decided to take the airline to small claims court. Late last month she won her breach of contract claim and was awarded a refund of 4,500 miles, TheStreet reports. The airline was also ordered to pay Hamilton's court costs. "The two passengers seated behind me (including the woman who held my daughter) both appeared telephonically and testified that the flight attendant did not know the airlines' own rules and harassed me for the duration of the flight," Hamilton says. Children under age 2 are in fact allowed to sit in their own seat as long as they can sit upright on their own with their seatbelt fastened. (More American Airlines stories.)

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