JetBlue kick family off plane in confrontation over their mom's birthday cake after it is 'deemed a SECURITY RISK' on flight to Las Vegas to celebrate her 40th
- Family was kicked off JetBlue flight after 'improperly storing' their birthday cake
- Cameron and Minta Burke, and their two children, from New Jersey, were flying to Las Vegas on May 3 to celebrate Minta's 40th birthday
- They brought onto the plane a buttercream birthday cake
- The Burkes were asked by a flight attendant to move the cake to an overhead bin, then to another bin and finally to the floor
- Another flight attendant came over and confronted the family
- Two Port Authority officers were called to remove the Burkes but deemed there was 'no wrongdoing' on their part
- The family was still forced to exit the plane but had their tickets refunded
- Cameron Burke says he intends to bring a lawsuit against the airline
A family claim they were kicked off a JetBlue plane because the birthday cake was deemed a 'security risk'.
Cameron Burke, his wife and two children were flying to Las Vegas from JFK on May 3 to celebrate his wife's 40th birthday - and they brought a buttercream cake with them.
But after they say they received conflicting advice about where they could store it a disagreement developed and they were ordered off the flight.
The airline claims the family stored it in areas that were 'improper' - an overhead bin for safety equipment - and refused to move it. But the family say they followed all the cabin crew's instructions.
Even after Port Authority officers called to the scene deemed 'no wrongdoing' on the part of the family, as see in a video obtained by ABC 7 NY, airline staff nonetheless forced them to exit the plane.
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Cameron Burke and his family (left and right) were on board a flight to Las Vegas for his wife's 40th birthday and brought a buttercream cake with them. After one flight attendant asked them to move the cake from an overhead bin to the floor, another flight attendant came over to reprimand her colleague - and the Burkes
When another airline employee asked Cameron and his family to leave, he refused and began recording. Two Port Authority employees (left) were called to force the family off the flight. The Burkes' two children can be seen crying and scared (right)
The Burkes had boarded a Jet Blue flight out of Kennedy Airport and stored their buttercream cake in the overhead bin before taking their seats in the last row.
'A flight attendant nicely asked me to remove the cake from that compartment, so I moved it to another one,' Cameron told the New York Daily News.
'She then asked me to move it to underneath the seat in front of me, I did.'
Then, chaos unfurled.
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According to Cameron, another flight attendant appeared and confronted her colleague and then Cameron.
'You know, you could see the gestures - then she was pointing to her, did you tell him he couldn't put anything in the overhead compartment?
'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 non-compliant, then I said 'ma'am, had you been drinking?' because her behavior was not normal''
When another airline employee asked Cameron and his family to leave, he refused and began recording.
Officer Cheung (pictured with Cameron Burke) tells an airline employee that he sees 'no wrongdoing' on the part of the Burkes and just took down their information before leaving
Video, obtained by ABC 7 NY reporter CeFaan Kim, showed Port Authority officers questioning the family as the Burkes tell them the cake is on the floor as flight attendants has requested.
Their seven-year-old son, Cameron Jr, and nine-year-old daughter, Camille, appear scared as the officers question the family.
'I just want to know why,' Cameron's wife, Minta, says out loud. 'Exactly!' he replies. 'For a cake?'
One of the officers then tells an airline employee that he sees 'no wrongdoing' on the part of the Burkes.
Airline staff then had all passengers on the full flight exit the plane in order to remove the Burke family.
The family's tickets and reward points were refunded. Their luggage went to Las Vegas, and was collected by his mother-in-law.
According to JetBlue, the Burkes are at fault for the disruption.
The company says the cake was originally stored in an overhead bin with safety equipment, not meant for passenger carry-on and that the family 'refused several requests to move the dessert'.
Airline staff then had everyone on the full plane exit so the Burkes could be removed. Their tickets and reward points were refunded
Cameron says he was able to book a United Airlines flight out of Newark for Las Vegas the following day, and intends to file a lawsuit against JetBlue (Minta pictured with her children before the incident onboard the flight)
'The customers became agitated, cursed and yelled at the crew, and made false accusations about a crew member's fitness to fly,' said JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw.
'After the customers refused to speak with a team leader about the situation, the Port Authority Police Department was called and the entire aircraft deplaned.'
Cameron says he was able to book a United Airlines flight out of Newark for Las Vegas the following day. He has since reached out to the National Action Network, and intends to file a lawsuit against JetBlue.
'I want the flight attendant fired, she has no business serving the public,' said Cameron
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4503800/JetBlue-boots-family-flight-birthday-cake.html#ixzz4h67XQvMF
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