COMINGANDGOING

Squall Delays Takeoff

CoGo was belted for takeoff recently when the Southwest plane taxied back to the gate to escort a family of four off the plane. Their offense? Failure to control a squalling tot.

"He's just so tired," the mother told a flight attendant between futile efforts to soothe the child, about 2. The senior attendant on the Albuquerque-to-BWI flight said the eviction came because the parents didn't keep the child belted before takeoff, making the airline liable for a $1,100 federal fine. Southwest spokesman Brandy King said it was because the child's screams prevented passengers from hearing the crew's safety announcements.

Bethesda child psychiatrist Stanley Greenspan, asked for comment later, said the best cure for screaming is rhythmic rocking or back-rubbing. Firmness may not work for a preschooler in the midst of a tantrum, because "any attempt to get into a power struggle at that point only increases the storm."

The family, King said, was rerouted through St. Louis, delaying that takeoff by 10 minutes. If Southwest hadn't been able to reroute them, King said, the family could have expected, at the least, a "distress rate" on a hotel; in some cases, she said, the airline picks up the tab.

TRAVEL TICKER

Independence Air, the new discount carrier based at Dulles, began selling tickets last week.The first flights start June 16, to Chicago; Newark; Boston; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; and Atlanta. By summer's end, the airline will have 600 flights a day to 35 U.S. destinations. All fares are one way, no Saturday-night stays are required, and you get $25 off your first round-trip flight. (Round-trip fares to the cheapest cities start at $78 without the discount.) Details: 800-FLY- FLYI, www.flyi.com . . . Song, Delta's discount airline, will give 5,000 free round-trip tickets to passengers caught doing random acts of kindness. Flight attendants on June flights will each be given four tickets to award passengers who, for example, help a fellow traveler stow a bag . . . Hertz is offering free use of a car seat to AAA members for the rest of 2004 . . . Driving trips in California are detailed in a free guide from the California Travel and Tourism Commission, 877-TOP- DRIVE, www.bestofcaliforniadrives.com.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

Asian Flew

Do an 11-night tour of Asia starting at $1,899 per person double. Details: What's the Deal?, Page P3.

Reporting: Cindy Loose, Ben Abramson, Susan Morse.

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news to: cogo@washpost.com. By fax: 202-912-3609. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.