'Belittled and harassed' over child seating: Mother wins lawsuit against American Airlines

A mother won a small claims settlement of 4,500 miles against American Airlines on Friday for "breach of contract" and "negligent infliction of emotional distress" after she said a flight attendant harassed her over the seating of her twin infants during a flight. Erika Hamilton, a lawyer from Oregon, was on a February flight with her 18-month-old twin daughters from Portland to Tallahassee, Florida, with a layover in Dallas, according to a copy of the complaint filed to the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for the County of Multnomah. In the complaint, Hamilton wrote how she purchased tickets for one daughter to sit in her lap and the other in a seat – which followed American Airlines' policy at the time. Infants under the age of 2 "must either travel in a safety seat approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or be able to sit upright in their seat without assistance and have their seatbelt securely fastened during taxi, takeoff, landing and whenever the 'fasten seatbelt' sign is on." The mother ended up being "belittled and harassed" by a flight attendant, Hamilton said via email, "when I was doing something that is absolutely allowed and that is already just really hard – flying alone with two kids under the age of two." "American strives to provide a positive and welcoming experience to everyone who travels with us, while ensuring their safety and comfort while in our care," American Airlines said Wednesday. "We are in touch with Ms. Hamilton and will be refunding 4,500 miles for the ticket in question."<br/>