Skip to content

Family Kicked Off JetBlue Flight Over Birthday Cake

May 14, 2017
4 min read
jetblue-airplane-featured
Family Kicked Off JetBlue Flight Over Birthday Cake
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

Update 5/15/17 9:20am: JetBlue has provided the following statement to The Points Guy regarding this incident:

During boarding, the customers stowed their cake and other items in an overhead bin reserved for safety and emergency equipment, and refused multiple requests from the crew to remove the items. Federal regulations require that the emergency equipment remain unobstructed during the flight. The customers became agitated, cursed and yelled at the crew, and made false accusations about a crewmember's fitness to fly. 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. The Captain determined the customers' behavior demonstrated a risk for additional escalation in air and would not be allowed to fly. A full refund was given. The remaining customers re-boarded and the flight departed without further interruption.
All customers are welcome to bring onboard one carry on and one personal item, including cakes, within the size limits.
The video circulating does not depict the entire incident and only starts after the objectionable behavior occurred and law enforcement was called.

Newly published video suggests that passengers on a JetBlue flight from New York (JFK) to Las Vegas (LAS) were forced to leave the plane because of the airline's dispute with a New Jersey family over where they could store a birthday cake.

WABC-NY and the New York Daily News report that the family was on a surprise trip for Minta Burke arranged by her husband Cameron, who had put the Tonnie's Minis birthday cake in the overhead bin on their May 3 JetBlue flight from New York to Sin City. When a JetBlue flight attendant told them it had to be moved, the family says they complied with the request, first moving the cake to another overhead bin and then again to underneath the seat in front of them.

But then, according to Cameron Burke, a second JetBlue flight attendant arrived on the scene and berated both the original flight attendant and Cameron. "I had approached them, and I said everything was fine, and she said, 'sir, this does not involve you,'" Burke told WABC-NY. "When she told me I had been non-compliant, then I said 'ma'am, have you been drinking?' because her behavior was not normal."

Apparently at that point, a third airline employee approached the family and asked them to disembark. Burke refused and police at JFK Airport were called to the scene. The video clip below was shot by Burke and posted on Twitter by the reporter from WABC-TV — it shows the police having already arrived on the aircraft and the discussion that ensued.

JetBlue claims the family was asked to leave due to their behavior, which included originally placing the cake in an emergency compartment that held safety equipment. "The customers became agitated, cursed and yelled at the crew, and made false accusations about a crew member's fitness to fly," JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw told the New York Daily News.

Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

While Burke agrees he questioned the flight attendant's sobriety, the video from the incident doesn't appear to back up JetBlue's claim of the family being belligerent. If anything, the family seems shocked and confused about the situation — one of the children starts crying as the Burkes show the police officers the cake on the floor. No other passengers appear to be reacting to the situation and the officer in charge repeatedly tells the family "no one's in any trouble" and "no one did anything wrong."

But eventually the officer informs them that JetBlue had decided the entire flight would have to be rebooked, which was apparently how JetBlue handled removing the family from the airplane. Burke says the airline refunded the family in full for their tickets, which had been purchased with a combination of cash and TrueBlue points.

The video is the latest in a string of videos shot by passengers showing confrontations with airline personnel and aboard aircraft. While the video in this incident takes place after the interaction between Burke and the flight attendant is already over, we have reached out to JetBlue regarding the seeming discrepancy between the airline's description of events and the video showing the aftermath, and we will update this post with any additional news.

TPG featured card

4 / 5
Go to review
Rewards rate
1XChoose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee
2XEarn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases
Intro offer
Open Intro bonus
50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status + $300 of Bilt Cash
Annual fee
$495
Regular APR
26.74 - 34.74% variable
Recommended credit
Open Credit score description
Good Credit, Excellent Credit

Pros

  • Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
  • Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
  • $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
  • $200 Bilt Cash annually
  • Priority Pass membership
  • No foreign transaction fees

Cons

  • Moderate annual fee
  • Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
  • Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
  • Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
  • 2X points on everyday spend
  • $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
  • $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
  • Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
  • Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
  • Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.