Family kicked off Jet Blue flight over birthday cake [VIDEO]

A New Jersey family was looking forward to a birthday trip to Las Vegas, but was removed from a Jet Blue flight, allegedly over a disagreement on where to stow a birthday cake for the mom.

Minta Burke’s husband planned a surprise trip to Vegas for the parents and their two young boys, to celebrate the mother’s 40th birthday. The family brought a birthday cake aboard the flight, and according to an ABC News report, initially stored it in the overhead bin.

A flight attendant told them they needed to store it somewhere else, so they placed it under a seat.

The Burke family told ABC News that they thought the situation had been resolved until a second flight attendant approached the first, and the airline staffers got into an argument, and the family claims one of those flight attendants became aggressive with them.

Minta’s husband Cameron admits that he asked the flight attendant if she had been drinking.

“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,” Cameron told ABC 7.

In the end, the entire plane had to de-board and the family received was prohibited from taking the flight, and provided a full refund.

Jet Blue provided a statement that seemed to conflict with the Burke family’s claims, but was light on specifics.

“(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 crewmember’s fitness to fly,” the airline said in a statement.

The video footage taken from the flight does not show Mr. Burke cursing or yelling, and none of the passengers appear to be concerned.

The unfortunate incident was an unwelcome birthday surprise for Minta.

“We were just so happy. Couldn’t wait to get to Las Vegas, and all of a sudden this occurred, and my two children are screaming, crying. They’re confused not knowing what’s going on — they were traumatized,” Minta Burke told ABC 7.

 

Photo: Twitter video screenshot