LOOSE Women star Charlene White has told how she refused to board a flight after being split up from her two children.
Charlene, 44, revealed she became embroiled in a row with American Airlines staff and told them they were breaking the law during the recent flight.
Her revelation comes after TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp sparked a storm when she said she deliberately would sit apart from her children, aged seven and four at the time, on flights – going in business class with her partner, with her children in economy.
She said it would be a “waste of money” and “very spoiling” to pay the high ticket price for her children.
But Charlene, who shares Alfie and Florence with her partner Andy Woodfield, said sitting apart would be dangerous in the event of an accident.
Speaking to Alan Carr on his Life’s A Beach podcast, she said: “I’ve got no problem with complaining about stuff. I almost refused to get an American Airlines flight two months ago because they split me up from my kids, which is illegal.
“So then I reminded them of aviation law and said to them they sort it out or I’m not getting on the flight and they will have to put me on the next flight with my children.
“Don’t mess with me. You’re not allowed to be split up from your children because if something happens.”
She went on to point out the children would need a parent to help with their breathing equipment and lifejacket.
Charlene added: “If there’s an accident and the thing comes down, you can’t necessarily trust a stranger to do that for you so legally you have to sit with your children.
“And they were trying to tell me that’s not true, and I said ‘I think you’ll find it is’.”
However, according to research by the Which? consumer group this year, airlines can legally separate even the under-fives from their mum and dad, but it goes against Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) guidelines.
But there is no UK law insisting on seats together.
The CAA says: ‘Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. “Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults.
“This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children.”
But Dai Whittingham, who was Chief Executive of the UK Flight Safety Committee for 12 years until this year, told Which? that separating passengers is at best unwise, and at worst fatal.
He said: “In an emergency situation anyone will try to get to their loved ones, even if it involves clambering over others, impeding the evacuation and putting lives at risk.”
He said any airline that intentionally splits travelling companions up is “putting its profits ahead of passenger safety”.
Airlines’ stated policies are that they will generally make sure children are kept near their parents – although there’s no guarantee it will be on the same row.
Which? found most budget airlines – who often charge to reserve a specified seat to ensure seats together – said they would probably sit children under 12 next to a parent for free, but if not, they endeavour to make sure they are either in the same row or one behind or in front.
But Ryanair has a “mandatory” rule that adults travelling with under 12s must be together, with the adult paying.
It said: ‘For safety reasons, children under the age of 12 must sit beside an accompanying adult, and infants (aged 8 days to 23 months inclusive) must sit on an accompanying adult’s lap. It is mandatory for an adult travelling with children under 12 (excl. infants) to reserve a seat.”
