Well, I was trying to be helpful, but you clearly don't think so...but the reason that they can take you and your child and not the luggage is simple. By the time you got to check in, it was 50 minutes. Let's say it took 5 minutes to process you as a late check in. Your luggage now has to go and be xrayed for security, and possibly hand checked by the TSA. Once this has been completed, the case then has to be separately handled to get it to the aircraft, because it is well beyond the normal cut off time for processing of the luggage. On international flights, the luggage also has to be matched to the customer on the manifest. The timelines were that this would have to occur in about 30 minutes for an on time push back.. and this is too tight a framework. Unless of course you wanted the whole flight to be delayed to accommodate you.
Processing the passenger is quite different. The passenger has to make their own way to the gate and get processed through security, independently of the airline. The obviously does not take up significant staff time, at a time when the staff are already busy preparing a flight for departure. This is especially so for a large aircraft on an international flight.
Had you booked a through ticket with BA, and the connecting leg was delayed, BA may have been able to be more accommodating. For example, allowing you board the flight and then bringing the delayed luggage on after you. They are not permitted to do this in the circumstances you describe because Airtran was not interlining the bags directly through.
The purpose of this website is to provide advice. I provided it. You can take it or leave it, I have no particular problem with that. However, you seem to have an entitlement attitude.
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My child and I should not have to suffer because of their problems.
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That is arrogant and obnoxious. BA had nothing whatsoever to do with AirTran being late and tried to accommodate you by allowing you to fly, but you would have to make alternative arrangements for your luggage (via FedEx or DHL for example). You declined that... so were then offered the next day's flight. I think they should have let you go through for free and it sounds like they intended to do so initially. However, they changed their mind and demanded payment after processing you. I suspect we might now know the reason why. You probably showed some of the obnoxious attitude you have revealed in your last post... and they decided to do you no favours. If that is the case, it is no more than you deserve. You sound like a precious little victim.