Family kicked off easyJet flight because daughter had cut on cheek

A British family was ordered off an easyJet flight from Jersey to Newcastle because of a small cut on their little girl's cheek.

Laura Bishop, who is seven months pregnant, her partner John Maitland and their 19-month-old daughter Robyn had spent four days in Jersey and were "abandoned" for three days after the little girl fell and cut her cheek on a radiator.

According to Morpeth Herald, the family didn't think it was anything serious but after boarding the plane, a flight attendant noticed Robyn's injury and they were escorted off.

Miss Bishop told the newspaper: "All the passengers were on board when the stewardess noticed the little one's cut. She asked what had happened and I thought she was being sympathetic, but she went off to get the pilot, who asked if we had a medical certificate to say she was fit to fly.

"I told him we hadn't seen a doctor because we didn't think it was particularly serious and we were about to leave the hotel anyway. He then said he would have our bags removed from the plane and asked us to leave."

The family were told to re-book their flight when they had obtained a medical certificate but the next flight was in three days.

Miss Bishop told Sky Tyne and Wear: "The pilot said that the eye being a delicate area - he couldn't tell if it would get worse during the flight.

"He had to think about all the other passengers' safety. I kept saying it's not her eye, it is her skin below her eye.

"It's just a little red mark on her face. It's not even going to scar. It wasn't deep. It didn't really bleed at all.

Bishop, from Northumberland, said the issue had cost the family around £600, not including calls to the airline.

easyJet has paid compensation to the family and a spokesman told the Daily Mail: "The crew advised the family they believed the injury could worsen in flight due to the effect of cabin pressure. As such they requested that the passengers disembark to seek medical attention.

"The actions of our crew were in the best interests of the child."

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