“Well, they can just remove me from the plane,” said Mr Schear.

An official replied: “In that case you and your wife will be in jail, and your kids will be taken away from you.”

The couple was with two of their three children; their two-year-old son Grayson, and a one-year-old daughter.

They had found travelling from LA to Hawaii with infants on their laps tiring, and so for their return flight their teenage son, Mason, 18, had agreed to fly on another plane, in advance. The family believed that this meant one of the infants could have Mason’s seat – and all four members of the family therefore have their own seat.

But when Mr and Mrs Schear were seated on the plane, with the two infants beside them, one in the 18-year-old’s seat, they were informed that they could not fly.