Henny Tekiri had boarded a flight going from Melbourne to Perth, with her five-day-old daughter, Malakai, when she was ordered to leave the plane.
Ms Tekiri told Seven News that she was informed by cabin crew that her daughter was too young to fly, and that the pair would have to leave immediately.
The new mother had booked the flight home with the intention of introducing her daughter to her family and friends, and had entered Malakai’s birthdate on the ticket forms.
A deeply upset Ms Tekiri said of the incident: “They surrounded us and started yelling like we had done something wrong. We’ve been treated like criminals.”
The mother and her baby then spent five hours on the floor at Melbourne Airport, before the airline in question, Tiger, agreed to provide them with accommodation while they searched for another flight for them.
The airline has since apologised for the incident, blaming it on human error.
