Boy with down syndrome not allowed to fly on plane...downgraded to coach

If this was already posted or needs to go elsewhere, sorry about that. I just read this and was quite upset having disabled family members. Personally, I think even if the boy was rowdy, there was no reason to seat them in the back of coach several rows from regular people. This is adding insult to injury. Thoughts?

TextPORTERVILLE, Calif. – A California family who was not allowed to board their cross-country flight said Tuesday that they were discriminated against because their son has Down syndrome. Robert Vanderhorst, his wife Joan and 16-year-old son Bede, who is disabled, were flying on American Airlines from Newark to Los Angeles on Sunday when the boy and his parents were not allowed on the plane. The family, who had upgraded to first class tickets at an airport kiosk, asked the airline to seat the boy and one of his parents together, Vanderhorst said -- a request with which the airline complied. When the family was ready to board, they were stopped by airline personnel, told their son was a "security risk" and would not be allowed on the flight. They protested, but were rebooked on another later flight in coach. American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller said the disabled boy was agitated and running around the gate area prior to boarding -- a claim his parents dispute. The airplane's pilot observed the boy, Miller said, and made the call based on his behavior. "He was not ready to fly, that was our perspective," Miller said.

Link to article

I hope American Airlines gets sued for this blatant discrimination.

Obviously there is no way for us to know the behavior of the boy prior to boarding but to label a disabled child as a security risk is just awful, cruel, and unjust.

reply to post by raiders247


The way I see it is, even if the boy was acting out of line, the parents should have been pulled aside and told to calm him. We all know first class boards first, so there should have been plenty time for that. Insensitivity to disability is cruel not just to the boy or his parents but for anyone who happens to have a child with a disability. No one chooses to be that way, so why punish it?

reply to post by raiders247


Agreed.

Moronic decision.

Can't wait for all of the child hating fliers to descend upon this thread.

How very ignorant of American Airlines. I worked with Down Syndrome people for years, they are usually sweet and want to please. I think a little bit of this kid running loose before the flight was a good thing, it would burn off some energy and make him better able to sit still for longer periods of time.

I would prefer to sit next to a DS person on a plane than some of the nasty crabby people I'm typically stuck next to. DS people are delightful and love to chat.

A threat? I don't think so. American Airlines has blown it again.

reply to post by FissionSurplus


Exactly, fission. I totally agree. I've rarely ever seen someone with down syndrome not want to please. They feed on positive reinforcement. They are mostly an inspiration in their own right.

I hope you Aspies are paying attention to this.

You're next.

Down Syndrome or not, I know if I paid $800 dollars for first class, I would not want to listen to or endure 3 hours of some kid going ape#.

I'm also pretty sure people with Down Syndromw, while normally rather peaceful and placid can suddenly turn violent or aggressive at the drop of a hat. I'm sure the needs of all other paying passengers outway the "inconvenience" and the parents.

As with everything else in todays media, a similar story would have been published had this kid been black and not disabled.

reply to post by BlueDawn


More kids have bothered me on a flight who were completely normal than those disabled. Regular ol spoiled brats with horrible parents who do not understand or discipline their child are horribly worse. I don't understand your perspective. A regular spoiled kid would be allowed to board.....no questions.

Hmmm... misleading headline. He was allowed to fly on the plane, just not in 1st class.

My sister-in-law, whom is down's, flies with us often and sometimes even flies by herself to visit her sister on the other coast. (We get special passes from the airline to bring her/pick her up at the gate.) She's such a sweety, one of my bestest friends in the world. But if I ever, ever got to fly first class, I wouldn't want her staring at me and talking the whole time. Because that's what she does, and there ain't no stopping it. Ask nicely and you might get a minute or so of quiet... but there's nothing you can do about the very intense staring. Watch a movie, go to the circus... and she'll just watch you and talk the whole time. If you try and get her to watch the show instead of you, she'll stare at you through her fingers like you can't see her then. I'm certainly not classist, but seriously, anyone flying first class should expect well-behaved fellow passengers. We probably wouldn't fly first class with her even if we were loaded. But some of her peers would be much better for it than she.

So, If the boy seemed as though he could be disruptive, I agree he should be in coach. But citing security concerns is so stupid you have to wonder if this really was just idiotic prejudice. Most people are very nice to Tammy and her handicapped friends, but every once in a while we have encountered ignorant meanies that won't give them a chance. Not sure which really happened with this boy.

Perhaps all of you people seeking an annoyance free life should return to beneath the slimy-ass rocks you apparently all come from.

Really????

How about switching the logic around? If you don't like your flying experience, then perhaps YOU shouldn't fly.

...and we wonder why this country is falling apart.

reply to post by chericher


I see what you are saying, but the article goes on to say that the boy was not able to fly on the original flight at all. They were rebooked in coach on another flight. They were also seated on the last row, and no other passengers were allowed to sit within a few rows of the family. Basically the airline created a barrier because "he was a threat".

Does your sibling have to be seated in the last row with two empty one's ahead?

reply to post by fictitious


OMG, yeah, sorry- I really shoulda RT(whole)FA. That is so wrong! What kinda ignoramuses would do that? A threat? WTF is wrong with people? Clearly, there was more than one idiot involved, or it would have been corrected without going so ridiculously far. Yup, agreed, airline was definitely terribly wrong here.

I think I kneejerked a reaction to the topic, because I deal with a lot of people who take the opposite tack, where one is not allowed to say anything less than totally glowing things about handicapped people. It can be very difficult to discuss real issues and practical considerations with people who are advocates but don't spend lots of time with the handicapped, so I was too quick to think that was what happened here.

In Victorian Times children with Downs or deformity's would often be hidden away in cupboards
What s next - cupboards on planes.

Can't have a Downs kid upsetting First Class Travelers can we or can we.
Maybe First Class needs a big hit of reality

reply to post by chericher


I agree that both sides need go be seen and discussed, but this was over the top. A certain amount of precaution could have been used, but this was downright insulting and discriminatory.

Airlines don't seat crying and kicking children in the back with empty rowan ahead of them.

reply to post by artistpoet


Anyone with enough money to sit in first class would sit there even if they had a disabled child. I wonder if the family hadn't just upgraded to first class and originally purchases 1st class tickets if the out come would have been different.

Originally posted by fictitious
reply to post by artistpoet

 

Anyone with enough money to sit in first class would sit there even if they had a disabled child. I wonder if the family hadn't just upgraded to first class and originally purchases 1st class tickets if the out come would have been different.

Perhaps having a Downs child - The parents thought First Class might offer more privacy and a more comfortable journey and allow more freedom to their child.
But I do not know. Just feel it a shame for the family.
Downs kids are innocent like children are - Wonder how the poor kid would feel knowing he was being picked out and in effect punished for his condition.