In other news, Southwest Airlines is under fire for kicking a special-needs 3-year-old off a flight for absolutely nothing other than the risk that the kid *might* cause a problem while in the air:
Oh my God @SouthwestAir. Oh. My. God. Now toddlers are getting booted off of flights because of their disabilities even when they’re successfully wearing a mask?! This is absolutely monstrous. https://t.co/wwbRiPvsKd
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) May 5, 2021
It really is as bad as Bethany Mandel tweets above. From the article where this mom did everything humanly possible to make sure what happened did not happen:
Caroline Scott said her son was wearing a mask and wasn’t having any issues at the time of the flight, but she had alerted the airline to the possible problem days before, which prompted the pilot to make the decision.
And:
“When we actually got to our flight we were told there was an issue and they had to ask a supervisor to get the captain’s permission for us to board, even though when I had called they said there would be no issues,” Scott said Tuesday.
Scott said both her son’s occupational therapist and pediatrician wrote letters attesting to her son’s condition and making the airline aware that the parents had the necessary coping skills to help her son if he became distressed about wearing the mask.
She said the captain said he still felt uncomfortable with having the boy on the flight. She said the family assured the airline employees that her son would continue to wear the mask throughout the flight. They took their seats on board the plane, but the supervisor returned moments later.
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“They came on to the plane and said we needed to deplane because the captain did not feel comfortable with my son on the plane,” Scott said.
WTF happened here?
Good God! One of my children had the same problem. @SouthwestAir make this right!!! This was so cruel. https://t.co/EZstxlAHpH
— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) May 5, 2021
What this will do is just encourage parents to keeps issues like this secret, which the airline doesn’t want:
@SouthwestAir you owe explanation. Tickets were purchased, parents did all the right things, and your staff lied to them. I’d love to know why. I’ll be waiting. https://t.co/LdHctE96c3
— Judge Crake (@JudgeCrake) May 5, 2021
And why are kids even wearing masks at 3 on a plane?
Maybe a child at some future time might possibly want to take his mask off so the pilot gets to do this?! GFY @southwestair & when you're finished, take this kind of decision-making out of pilots' hands. Masks on children are bullshit anyway. https://t.co/FnR8npGUuD
— M P (@DontSayHotlanta) May 5, 2021
Yet, it does not stop:
This is infuriating
Kid was doing what he was told and the captain still kicks the family off the flight?
This panic HAS to stop. Kids shouldn't be required to wear masks anyway but to have a zero tolerance policy that doesn't allow a special needs child to fly is utter madness https://t.co/UBzcxuhrkf
— Gruff Sparty (@GruffSparty_) May 5, 2021
We expect the airlines want to do away with it, too:
Deputizing private companies to apply a slapdash, patchwork public health regime is going just as well as you’d think https://t.co/g5sPm0Pe7w
— Hooch Acquisition Corp (@barrelproofing) May 5, 2021
Over to you, Southwest:
This is discrimination, full-stop. Where are the lawyers?! @SouthwestAir should be owned by this family by the end of it.
— Bethany S. Mandel (@bethanyshondark) May 5, 2021
Do better:
This better include a strong reprimand for discrimination for that specific pilot. pic.twitter.com/WuaJrZ3pu0
— Dawn: Seeking Friends for the End of the World (@aurora_g96) May 5, 2021
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