Air Canada will apologize to an Alberta mother who said she had the "worst experience ever" during a flight with her toddler.
Kaitlynn Kirschner, who lives in Fort McMurray, said she bought an aircraft-approved carseat specifically for a family trip to Florida. The group had to take three separate flights and Kirschner thought it was safer and more comfortable for her two-year-old to have her own seat, she wrote in a Facebook post.
But their connecting flight from Toronto to Houston turned into a "nightmare," when a flight attendant insisted that she hold her daughter for takeoff and landing.
"When I refused to remove her from her seat he said we would not take off until I complied and then had the nerve to tell me that I was selfish for putting my own comfort over the safety of my child," Kirschner wrote on Facebook.
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"I ended up doing what he said very reluctantly, heart pounding and tears streaming. As we took off my daughter struggled against me trying to escape my arms to run down the aisle. He again forced the issue for landing and said we would continue to fly circles until I complied because the cabin was not 'secured' until my daughter was UNSECURED FROM HER SEAT!!!"
An Air Canada spokeswoman told Global News that the company would apologize to Kirschner and provide a "goodwill gesture." Staff will be reminded of the proper procedure, she added.
Transport Canada, the government's transportation safety agency, "highly recommends" carseats for babies and small children travelling by plane.
In an interview with Global, Kirschner said everything in the plane was secured except for her daughter.
"You strap the coffee pot down, you strap everything down except for my child, and that makes the cabin secure?"
Previously on HuffPost: