A young mother from Co Monaghan yesterday threatened to "take action" against US airline Delta after her 18-month-old child suffered severe dehydration after she was prevented from bringing drinks on board a 6½-hour flight home from New York.
Lucinda Bradley from Killygoan in Monaghan said that, before her flight on August 14th, she was told she was not allowed to bring baby bottles of diluted orange onto the aircraft because of "security precautions".
She also alleged that she was told her child would not be served any food or drink on the flight because, as an infant, he did not have a seat of his own.
Ms Bradley said she endured a "horrific" ordeal. She said that when she, her partner and two sons - Calvin (6) and Cian (1½) - checked in their luggage at New York's JFK airport, she kept four bottles of juice to retain as hand luggage.
"As we got to the security gates I could hear them shouting: 'No liquids, make-up, perfume or the like will be allowed on the flight'. When the security man came to check us I showed him the bottles for the baby but he said: 'no, you will have to empty them out'.
"I told him that on the flight over with the child we were told 'the baby does not get any food or drinks on board because he had not got his own seat'.
"This was even though we had paid €270 for him to come with us. I showed him the bottles again and told him I would taste each of them for him, but he was having none of it."
When the family arrived back in Monaghan the following day, Ms Bradley said, she realised something was wrong with the child. "The baby was sleeping a lot and I thought it was just because of the long journey, but then he began vomiting and I began to get worried."
When she brought the child to her GP the next morning, he advised her immediately that the child was dehydrated and would need to be brought to Cavan General Hospital by ambulance.
The child was examined and placed on an intravenous drip. He was kept under supervision for over 24 hours.
Ms Bradley said she is now awaiting a report from the consultant who examined her son in Cavan and plans to present it, along with a letter from her and her partner, to her travel agent.
"I am so angry my child became so sick because of a lack of fluids on that flight," she said. "I am determined to take action against the airline, definitely."
A spokeswoman for Delta Airlines in New York said the company had brought increased provisions of water on board its flights after restrictions on fluids were introduced earlier this month, while there was "at least one" beverage service on all its flights.
"We would absolutely provide all passengers with the same service. Certainly, we would offer all passengers drinks on board," she said.
The company would investigate Ms Bradley's complaint, the spokeswoman added.