A toddler and his family were kicked off of an American Airlines flight when the child was reportedly unable to comply with the mask requirements due to an asthma attack.
Amanda Pendarvis posted to her Instagram story on Monday that the flight crew asked her, her two-year-old son, and her mother to deplane after their flight had left the gate at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport en route to Colorado Springs.
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“[We] just had the most humiliating/traumatizing experience because of an evil, power tripping flight attendant named Carl,” Pendarvis claimed on Instagram. “He had the plane turned around and had us escorted off to be met by police officers. Why? Because my two-year-old was not properly wearing a mask.”
She continued to write that her son was hyperventilating during an asthma attack, along with pictures and videos of her administering an inhaler to her son. Pendarvis said that the attendant announced over the intercom that the plane was returning to the gate due to a “non-compliant traveler,” even though she had proof that her son had recently tested negative for COVID-19.
An airline spokesperson confirmed in an email that the family’s plane returned to the gate after they were asked to get off the plane and added that the child was moving around the aisles and seats in violation of take-off safety. The statement denied that the family informed the crew that he was having an asthma attack or difficulty breathing.
“On Sept. 13, American Airlines flight 1284 returned to the gate prior to departure from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to deplane a party refusing to comply with crew member instructions to remain seated while on an active taxiway and to wear face coverings securely over their nose and mouth,” the airline said in a statement. “After agreeing to adhere to policies instituted for the safety of our customers and crew, all individuals were rebooked for travel on the next flight to Colorado Springs (COS).”
We’ve reached out to your friend asking for info. Thanks for your concern.
— americanair (@AmericanAir) September 14, 2021
A Twitter user who identified herself as Pendarvis’s friend posted the pictures, where they garnered thousands of retweets and almost 10,000 likes. American Airlines responded on Twitter that it was reaching out to Pendarvis for more information.
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Federal law currently requires that all airline passengers two years of age and older must wear face coverings at all times except when actively eating or drinking.
According to American Airlines’s website, “These rules do not apply to children under 2, or if you have a disability that prevents you from wearing a face covering and meet the exemption requirements.”
The spokesperson said that those seeking exemptions due to disabilities need to contact the airline 72 hours in advance of their flights.
