Shocking video shows man getting kicked off flight with his toddler daughter because she was scared to fly

A US airline has been slammed after a dad and his toddler daughter were allegedly kicked off a flight because she was scared to fly.

The pair were escorted from their seats and off the plane by staff on board Southwest Airlines flight 1683 before a journey from Chicago to Atlanta on Wednesday.

Passenger Alexis Armstrong uploaded mobile phone footage of the man being spoken to in his seat before he left the plane with his daughter.

Uploading the video to Facebook, Ms Armstrong said "shame on you Southwest Airlines" as she accused the firm of ejecting the man because his daughter was sitting on the man's lap instead of her own seat.

She wrote: "#southwest #airlines kicked a man off the plane with his two year old daughter because she was afraid and not sitting in her own seat..he asked the lady for a minute to calm her down she walked away and called people to remove him."

The clip has received almost 600,000 views and been shared by just under 5,000 Facebook users since it was posted on Wednesday.

In the video, two flight attendants can be seen talking to the man and a woman sitting next to him.

One crew member tells passengers: "We all need to understand the operation, unfortunately. This is not helpful guys. Do you want to go to Atlanta? The decision's been made."

Speaking after her video went viral, Ms Armstrong suggested the family were owed an apology.

She told Inc : "All I really wanted was [the video] to be seen by [Southwest] and apologize to this family.

"I am a mum and my heart was hurting for this dad - Southwest owes them an apology,"

"I did NOT think this would blow up, I am not sure why I even began to film, I just knew from the woman's attitude and security approaching it wasn't going to end well."

Southwest Airlines said it 'regretted' the inconvenience caused by the incident.

The airline said: "After pushback Wednesday evening, Flight 1683 to Atlanta returned to the gate at Midway to allow supervisors to board the aircraft.

"Our initial reports indicate a conversation escalated on board between the crew and a customer traveling with a small child.

"We always aim for a welcoming and hospitable experience and regret the inconvenience to all involved.

"The traveling party was booked on the next flight to Atlanta after the original flight continued as planned.

"We will reach out to the customer[s] to listen to any concerns they have about their experience and look forward to welcoming them on board again soon."