ITV Loose Women star refused to board flight in message to crew

Loose Women star Charlene White stood her ground

Loose Women's Charlene White stood her ground with airline staff, claiming it was against the law to be seated away from her children on a flight. The 44-year-old presenter was adamant about not boarding an American Airlines plane until the issue was resolved.

She recounted the incident to comedian Alan Carr on his Life's A Beach podcast: "I've got no problem with complaining about stuff. I almost refused to get an American Airlines flight two months ago because they split me up from my kids, which is illegal."

She continued: "So then I reminded them of aviation law and said to them they sort it out or I'm not getting on the flight and they will have to put me on the next flight with my children. Don't mess with me. You're not allowed to be split up from your children because if something happens."

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Charlene, who has two children, Alfie, seven, and Florence, five, with partner Andy Woodfield, explained the importance of being near her children to assist them in case of an emergency. She added: "If there's an accident and the thing comes down, you can't necessarily trust a stranger to do that for you so legally you have to sit with your children. And they were trying to tell me that's not true, and I said 'I think you'll find it is'."

According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), although not against the law, separating children from parents or other vulnerable individuals contravenes their recommendations. This is due to concerns that it may hinder emergency evacuations, as parents will naturally attempt to reach their children, reports the Mirror.

The guidance on the CAA's website states: "Young children and infants who are accompanied by adults should ideally be seated in the same seat row as the adult. Where this is not possible, children should be separated by no more than one seat row from accompanying adults. This is because the speed of an emergency evacuation may be affected by adults trying to reach their children."

Similarly, American Airlines commits to "assign seats a few days after you buy your tickets so children under 15 are next to at least one adult" they are travelling with.

Conversely, TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp told The Sun she prefers to book seats away from her children on flights, sometimes opting for business class while her children fly economy. Her reasoning is that she believes travelling in luxury should be earned and shouldn't spoil her kids.

Kirstie explained: "Club class should be huge treat that you've worked for. If kids get used to Club class what do they have to work towards?" She also noted that the money saved allows her family to enjoy more holidays.