A couple who were booted off a United Airlines flight after their two-year-old daughter refused to wear a mask have revealed their heartache after leaving her behind.
Earlier this month, mom Eliz Orban hit out at United Airlines on social media after stating: "We just got kicked off a flight because our two-year-old would not put on a mask."
In an accompanying video, Orban could be seen talking to a cabin crew member as her husband attempted to keep a mask on their two-year-old daughter.
Watch the video below:In the footage, her husband can be seen holding a mask over their child's face, as the parents explain try to that she was refusing to wear it without assistance.
Despite their attempts, the family was kicked off the New Jersey-bound flight, with Orban later telling Fox and Friends that the entire incident was "humiliating" and "traumatizing".
Now, in a recent post, the couple has revealed that they have faced further heartbreak after leaving their daughter behind as they were forced to travel over the festive period.
Writing in an Instagram post to her 61,000 followers, the couple took aim at United Airlines, posing underneath a Delta Airlines sign while sharing a kiss.
In the caption, the mom writes:
"It’s hard to comprehend the past couple of days, and all I’ve been doing is praying that God would speak through us, use this story, and give us strength to keep going despite all the evil we have encountered.
"It breaks our heart that we couldn’t bring our daughter, we tried calling the airlines and couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone and we could honestly just not go through again what we went through on Friday. Just driving to the airport today was super triggering."
The mom added that their daughter is "in the best hands at home" and "surrounded by love" and refused to disclose why they had been forced to travel to Palm Beach.
Speaking once again about the incident aboard the United Airlines flight, Orban writes: "I STILL feel humiliated, traumatized, and triggered by what happened. But the amount of messages I have gotten by people being on our side and experiencing similar situations has truly been overwhelmingly beautiful."
When Orban first shared the family's story, the response to the footage was mixed, to say the least, with some social media users hitting out at UA and others slamming the parents for not being able to keep a face mask on their daughter:
Per The Sun, United Airlines said in a statement at the time: "The health and safety of our employees and customers is our highest priority, which is why we have a multi-layered set of policies, including mandating that everyone onboard two and older wears a mask.
"These procedures are not only backed by guidance from the CDC and our partners at the Cleveland Clinic, but they’re also consistent across every major airline."
