Family Alleges They Were Booted off JetBlue Flight Over Birthday Cake

A family from New Jersey said they were removed from a JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas [...]

By Tania Hussain

A family from New Jersey said they were removed from a JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas on Saturday over a birthday cake they brought onto the plane.

In an interview with ABC-7, airline attendants told the Burke family that the cake they brought on board and stored in the overhead bin was deemed a security risk.

According to the ABC News affiliate, Cameron Burke was told to move the cake and put it under the seat in front of him. After he moved the cake under his seat, a second crew member confronted the first flight attendant.

"You could see the gestures — then she was pointing to her, 'Did you tell him he couldn't put anything in the overhead compartment?'" Burke recalled. "I had approached them, and I said everything was fine, and she said, 'Sir, this does not involve you.' When she told me I had been noncompliant, then I said, 'Ma'am, had you been drinking?' because her behavior was not normal."

On JetBlue's website it states that cakes are allowed on board, but only if they are within the carry-on size limits.

The station reports police were brought on board at John F. Kennedy Airport, while an attendant made an announcement that everyone had to get off the plane. It was in that moment when the Burkes were removed.

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In a video posted to social media, one of the Burke children can be seen crying after they are kicked off the flight. Passengers were seen taking the Burke family's side.

"The passengers were very understanding. They knew that this was a strange situation," Burke said.

JetBlue rebutted the story told by Burke, saying in a statement that he was yelling at the crewmember.

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"[The customer] refused multiple requests from the crew to remove the items, became agitated, cursed and yelled at the crew, and made false accusations about a crew member's fitness to fly," the statement said.

The father of two who wanted to surprise his family with the trip, tells ABC-7 he never cursed at any point during their time on the plane.

Upon arriving at the terminal, the family was immediately refunded, no questions asked, telling ABC it doesn't make sense.

[Photo Credit: Twitter / @JetBlue]

This article originally appeared on Womanista.com

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