Another day, another incident of Southwest Airlines kicking off a family over a ridiculous mask issue. Only this time, the three-year-old question was wearing his mask. Flight attendants simply feared the boy would not be able to keep it on.
Southwest Kicks Off Family Over FEAR Disabled Three-Year-Old Would Remove Mask
Here’s what gets me about this incident: the kid was wearing the mask. He also had a disability, which Southwest Airlines used as a pretext to throw the family off.
Three-year-old Orion Scott has sensory processing disorder. His parents reached out to Southwest prior to their flight. They mentioned he *might* have trouble keeping his mask on, but provided the requisite information including a note from the doctor and their occupational therapist.
The family boarded their flight to Florida and settled into their seats. Orion had his mask on and, according to the family, and had kept it on throughout the process.
All of a sudden a flight attendant appeared. Addressing Caroline, Orion’s mother, she said:
“You have to get off the plane. The captain doesn’t feel comfortable with your family on it.”
The flight attendant then explained they were not being kicked off for violating any rules, but out of fear the three-year-old might violate rules.
Caroline added:
“It’s not OK. There was no empathy. There was no understanding. We were just humiliated. It was traumatizing and humiliating.
“We thought we were doing the right thing and for being forefront and honest, we were punished for it.”
The family paid $1,700 to fly home on United the next day, did not mention the disability, and encountered no issue. Orion kept his mask on.
Asked about the incident, a Southwest spokesperson noted:
Southwest Airlines regrets any inconvenience this family experienced while traveling, and our Customer Relations Team is contacting the family directly regarding their experience. Southwest Employees are working each day to ensure the requirements of the federal mask mandate with sensitivity during these challenging times. We appreciate the ongoing understanding and cooperation among our Customers and Employees as we work collectively to support the comfort and wellbeing of all who travel with us during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s my commentary: you’re a gutless wonder, Captain. A coward lacking empathy is a danger in the cockpit. You have NO BUSINESS FLYING FOR SOUTHWEST.
CONCLUSION
The Orions tried to do the right thing and were punished for it. As Caroline noted:
“We’re never going to disclose again, and that’s a shame because it should be, ‘How can we support people who need extra support?’ Not ‘Let’s kick them off the plane.’ No family should have to go through this!”
She’s 100% correct and unless the family is holding back information, I unconditionally condemn Southwest Airlines here. Southwest has a problem handling passengers with disabilities and I am getting sick and tired of the new stories that are constantly popping up. Southwest owes this family more than an apology…
> Read More: Family Denied Boarding On Southwest After Autistic Child Couldn’t Wear Face Mask
image: provided by family to KDVR-TV
Authoritarian’s using COVID19 as an excuse to show their power and crush ordinary people. So many such instances are happening in the world(especially in America both within corporations and in governments). I have a feeling this is not going to end well.
Why are we forcing people to wear masks anyway?
If you look at all 50 states in the US, there is a slightly negative correlation between masks and Covid cases.
Healthdata.gov has a lot of info on this.
It’s just funny that ‘science’ hasn’t adjusted to the data….
And the government still demands people to wear masks – even though they clearly are security theater.
George, causation =/= correlation. If more mask use correlates with higher covid cases, wouldn’t it make sense that if there are higher covid cases, more people wear masks?
I am not trying to definitively make a statement either way, but I just wanted to point that out.
Captain is a disgrace!
When is Southwest going to be fined like passengers have been for violating the mask executive order? The same order that clearly states those with disabilities are not required to wear a mask
Blame the demented and the Jurassic in DC. Look at maskless Texas Covid numbers. They will keep brainwashing people for as long as they can.
The captain has no business flying for any airline, not just Southwest.
This does seem like rather poor judgment on the part of the pilot. I suspect that the pilot may have been fed some misinformation as making such a dubious decision is really puzzling otherwise. As just one possibility, what if a FA came to the cockpit and announced that there was a passenger onboard who may very well be removing their mask during the flight? All the information is technically correct while the picture it paints is completely wrong. I just think that this is a little too pat.
It’s nice that you give him or her the benefit of the doubt and perhaps that is warranted, but I think the captain failed in performing due diligence by not even emerging from the flight deck to talk to the family directly. And if whiny FAs were afraid, they could have taken another flight…
Fascism, in its original meaning, is when governments and corporation work hand-in-hand and protect each other. In this case, what recourse does a consumer have?
Tens of billions were given to the airlines, by both Trump and Biden, for no logical reason or popular demand, at the behest at the airlines’ and the unions’ lobbyists.
The airlines are using the CDC’s guidance as an excuse to abuse people. And the chance that the Biden admin will bring any administrative or criminal action for violating the rights of innocent, disabled travelers on account of over-zealous enforcement of mask rules seems to be zero.
I don’t think violence is ever justified, and I’d support prosecuting anyone who would, IDK, torch a southwest office at night.
Captain should be flying cargo if he’s going to pull stunts like this.
I agree with the captain. Can you imagine if the boy became non-compliant during the flight? Over a hundred lives would have been at risk. Better to err on the side of safety.
You’re an idiot, and part of the problem.
Safety over reason. Reason is a white supremacist concept and air travel should be decolonized of such violence.
Let’s begin with the following:
“Sensory processing disorder is a condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses.
Formerly referred to as sensory integration dysfunction, it is not currently recognized as a distinct medical diagnosis.”
SPD is neither a disability nor an approved diagnosis meaning it does not qualify as an exception meaning it is akin to “Emotional Support Pets.” Perhaps the captain checked with the superiors at Southwest and they informed him of the above info, after all the family notified the airline in advance? Looking at the pic noted, if that is the child, his mask is not properly worn as the nose is exposed. I say let the family and the company hash it out among themselves.
What turns me off about this story and parents excuse is the following:
“Caroline added:
“It’s not OK. There was no empathy. There was no understanding. We were just humiliated. It was traumatizing and humiliating.”
Humiliating? Quite possibly, but, that is a matter of your pride. Traumatizing and humiliating? How is it traumatizing? If you choose to be that sensitive that being removed from a flight is “Traumatizing” how do you get through life? It must be sad being a person so easily “subject to lasting shock as a result of an emotionally disturbing experience or physical injury.” You had a moment of rejection far from traumatizing, nothing more than how you chose to react.
I’m certain I sound callous, but, it’s hard to take anyone serious when they emote via word and/or deed in such a ridiculous manner.
There’s always two sides to every story, and no their is no such thing as “My truth” or “Your truth” as those are merely stories subject to unnecessary emotional additives to garner support.
Hey at least we don’t have that mean orange man saying mean things on Twitter! Let me know when you’ve hav enough of this nonsense.
@Chivas
Is that your pre or post-transition photo?
I think Southwest has a disability problem. And a PR problem. The Air Carrier Access Act (not the ADA) covers airline passengers. The dismissal of disabled children would (I think) fall under 382.3. A passenger with disability who presents, “a significant risk to the health or safety of others.” If this were to go to trial, Southwest would have to prove–within reason–that these children could pose a threat that other passengers did not. A passenger who takes off his her mask to take a sip of a drink (oh no!) or doesn’t maintain social distancing during boarding/disembarkation (but it’s okay during the flight). Those seem like equivalent exposures to a child who MIGHT have his or her mask off or askew. This seems like an uphill battle for Southwest, and I’m not an attorney.
Indeed, I travel with a disability and it’s a pain. It would be great if I didn’t have to travel or had perfect health. I have only once encountered a problem, and it was on Southwest. To be fair, the supervisor was more than helpful, and I got kind feedback from their corporate offices. But I’m getting the impression that they have work to do. I’m flying on them in a few weeks, and I admit that I’m terrified. I wouldn’t dare drink anything for fear that I’d be held in Southwest’s Criminal Detention Center because it took me too long to swallow my coffee.
Everyone should have been kicked off the Southwest plane because there might have been a massive engine failure that might have shot debris towards the fuselage and might have cracked passenger windows, creating a situation in which a passenger might have been partially sucked out of a shattered window, causing fatal injuries.
Better safe than sorry!
Now a third reason to avoid Southworst.
The other two:
No assigned seats.
737 MAX.
You’ve got to cherry-pick to find these over-enforcement stories. My experience – at well over 140 segments since last March – is that mask policy enforcement is close to nil these days. I recently had an AA FA refuse to enforce their published rules, and the Captain backed her up.
You know I almost only fly UA, but I’ve found the opposite. UA still very much enforced the rule.
Horrific. Particularly when there is almost no enforcement of the mask mandates with adults. I know because a guy behind me on a southwest flight was not wearing his mask properly and nothing was done.
If WN has any integrity they will reimburse the airfare paid to a United and provide the family with a free CP.
At this point the mandate is merely for show. If you are an adult and you haven’t been vaccinated then maybe you shouldn’t fly. And children are at zero risk.
Imagine if this pilot flew for a United or Delta? How would he deal with passengers who have to remove masks to eat?
SWA is quite justly deserving of condemnation for this but I do doubt that it was the Captain who made this call. As flight crew we generally have zero knowledge of customers with disabilities etc in the cabin. The one exception that comes to mind is peanut allergies but that’s it.
I think it’s far more likely that a FA was the one who was worked up about it and simply choose to blame it on the Captain.
But again the whole “let’s kick families of small children off the plane over mask compliance” thing is beyond stupid.
I have a disability. I work in this field. Here’s my opinion: Southwest Airlines should be sued. There is no doubt in my mind that this was an act of discrimination based on the kids’ disability. Matthew, thank you for writing this. We all need to learn something from this story, there is simply no excuse to treat people with disabilities this way, ever, period. This would’ve been unacceptable if the mask was off. But because it’s on, this family has the right, and probably should, take legal action against the Airline if they feel it’s a good idea.
Apart from disgusting and morally wrong, isn’t this also a flagrant violation of the ACAA (the airline equivalent to the ADA)?