Mom of baby who overheated on United flight speaks out

DENVER, Colorado (WABC) -- A mother who feared for her baby's life as he grew dangerously hot while they sat stuck on the tarmac on a delayed plane is speaking out about the horrifying ordeal exclusively with ABC News.

Emily France was stuck on a plane last month with her 4-month old son, Owen, while the flight was grounded at Denver International Airport during a summer heatwave. Temperatures inside the cabin were quickly rising.

"It was extremely hot," she said. "And everyone around me was complaining."

France said that after a delay, the flight crew allowed her and Owen off the plane to cool off. Twenty minutes later she re-boarded for takeoff, only to have the flight delayed again.

That's when Owen's condition started quickly deteriorating.

"A mom knows," she said. "And he made a cry that I've never heard before. And his coloring, I've never seen that color before. He was screaming, and then he just stopped. And my son went limp in my arms. And I said, 'Call an ambulance and get me off the plane.' I thought I was going to lose my son in my arms."

While the flight crew called for help, France said they couldn't figure out how to evacuate her with no stairs and no jetway.

"It was complete chaos," she said. "They looked at me and said 'You can't get off the plane.' And that was the worst moment of my life."

After approximately 15 minutes, she was finally able to get off, and Owen was rushed to the emergency room.

She said she believes that plane that day was just as dangerous as a child being left in a hot car.

United Airlines released this statement:

"We are profoundly sorry and apologize to our customer and her child for the experience they endured. We are continuing to look into what happened to prevent this from occurring again."

The FAA tells ABC News the agency "expects operators to take appropriate action if a cabin temperature condition occurs on the ground that could potentially affect passenger safety."

Now, France wants change, asking airlines to implement policies about the temperature inside the cabin.

"I want to share it in hopes that another mom or parent never has to go through this ever again," she said.