France planned to fly with Owen to El Paso, Texas, to join her husband, an astrophysicist, for a rocket launch. Their flight was scheduled to leave Denver at 1:50 p.m. Thursday, and France was one of the first passengers to board — around 1:20 p.m.
France was assigned to a seat in the rear of the plane and it was hot inside when she boarded, she said.
”There was just hot air coming from the vents," she said.
The flight crew announced that bad weather on the planned route was forcing the pilot to fly a different path, which would require more fuel. Takeoff was delayed to allow the ground crew to add fuel, France said.
France said she put wet wipes on Owen's neck and down his shirt to cool him. His body felt hotter as they sat in the aircraft, she said, and flight attendants brought ice in garbage bags to place on the 4-month-old.
”We just sat and sat and sat," France said. ”I hit my call button and said, ‘I think it's getting dangerously hot back here.'"
Crew members allowed France and Owen to leave the aircraft for 20 minutes. They were called back for takeoff, but when France returned to their seat the flight was delayed again because of bad weather, she said.
Crew members allowed France to take Owen to the front of the aircraft, where she said she held the infant in front of the open door. Flight attendants brought more bags of ice, she said. Another woman traveling with a baby removed her child's clothes and was holding a bag of ice against the child's chest, she said.
Owen struggled in the heat, France said.
