Mother plans to sue US airline over fluids ban after toddler dehydrates

A YOUNG mother from Co Monaghan is suing American airline Delta claiming her 18-month-old baby boy almost died from dehydration during a flight from New York when she was banned from bringing bottles of diluted orange on to the plane because of “security precautions”.

The baby would not be served any food or drink on the flight as he had not got a seat of his own, even though the family of four had paid for him to travel.

After returning home, the baby boy was sickly and next morning a local doctor called for an ambulance to take him to hospital.

On examination, he was found to be dehydrated, placed on a drip and kept in the hospital for 24 hours.

Lucinda Bradley, from Killygoan, described her ordeal as “horrific”.

Ms Bradley, who is in her mid-20s, and her partner were travelling with their two children, toddler Cian and Calvin, six. They flew out of JFK Airport on August 14 and arrived in Dublin at 7.30am on August 15 on Delta airlines.

“We arrived at JFK Airport and after we put our bags through, I kept four bottles of juice in a large handbag I was using as hand luggage,” she said.

“As we got to the security gates, I could hear them shouting that ‘no liquids, make-up, perfume or the like will be allowed on the flight’.

“When the security man came to check us, I showed him the bottles for the baby but he said ‘no, you will have to empty them out’.”

Ms Bradley says she tried to explain her predicament to the security man, without success.

“I told him that when we were on the flight over we were told the baby does not get any food or drinks on board because he had not got his own seat,” she said.

“This was even though we had paid 270 for him to come with us. I showed him the bottles again and told him I would taste each of them for him but he was having none of it. He took me straight to a bin and even helped me to take the tops of the bottles and empty them into the bin.”

The family arrived back in Monaghan almost 10 hours later and it was that night that Ms Bradley realised that something was wrong with the child.

“The baby was sleeping a lot and I thought it was just because of the long journey but then he began vomiting and I began to get worried,” she said.

The next morning, she took her son to her local GP, who recognised the child was dehydrated and ordered an ambulance to take the baby to Cavan General Hospital.

The baby boy was examined and placed on an intravenous drip to alleviate the dehydration. He was kept in for over 24 hours before being released and has recovered well.

Ms Bradley says after the boy had recovered, she went to her local travel agent to complain.

“They could not believe it and contacted the airline’s office in the UK, who confirmed to them the child was not entitled to any onboard food or drinks as he had not got a seat of his own,” she said.

Ms Bradley says she is now awaiting a report from the consultant who examined her son in Cavan and is to give it, along with a letter outlining the ordeal, to her travel agent.

“I am so angry my child became so sick because of a lack of fluids on that flight. I am determined to take action against the airline. Definitely I think it was a disgrace to do that to an 18-month-old baby,” Ms Bradley said.