United Airlines in trouble for 'making toddler fly without a seat'

Speakers: Li Ningjing and Sam Duckett

[Photo: Baidu.com]

A mother claims that her two-year-old son had to share her seat for three-and-a-half hours on a United Airlines flight to make room for another passenger.

Shirley Yamauchi, a teacher from Hawaii, splashed out $1,000 (£770) on a seat for her son, but claims a stewardess told her to give up her seat - despite any child over two being required to have their own.

Yamauchi was travelling with her son to a teacher's conference in Boston, when the incident occurred.

She later claimed that the last minute passenger admitted that he only paid $75 for the ticket.

Yamauchi told KITV Island News: "I told him [the new passenger] that I bought both of these tickets and he tells me that he got the ticket on standby. Then he proceeds to sit in the centre."

The teacher claims that when she alerted the issue to a flight attendant they shrugged, said the flight was full, and walked away.

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.