A New Jersey family says their plans to celebrate a birthday in Nevada were crushed when JetBlue Airways kicked them off the plane for storing a birthday cake in an overhead bin.
Cameron Burke tells the Daily News they were flying out of Kennedy Airport May 3 when he was asked to remove the cake, which he did. He said another attendant berated him, telling them to leave the plane after he questioned whether the attendant had been drinking.
Jetblue said Sunday the family put the cake and other items in a bin reserved for safety and emergency equipment, in violation of federal regulations, and refused multiple requests to remove them.
"The customers became agitated, cursed and yelled at the crew, and made false accusations about a crewmember’s fitness to fly," the airline's statement said.
Port Authority officers were 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 JetBlue statement said. "The remaining customers re-boarded and the flight departed without further interruption. All customers are welcome to bring on board one carry on and one personal item, including cakes, within the size limits."