CAPE CORAL, Fla. --- A local woman is saying JetBlue wrongfully removed her son from a flight Friday evening. Nicole Killman says that she and her ten year-old son son, Zachary, was asked to leave their flight to New Jersey after her son became sick. That was when she says the flight crew told her to leave.
Killman says she was selective in choosing a flight because she wanted to make sure that her son would be comfortable. He has autism and can sometimes get anxious during travel. She chose an evening flight the day before her sister's wedding.
“It gives him a chance to sleep. Also, it’s calmer at night so its better for him", she told Fox 4.
Killman says that the flight crew were helpful at first. A flight attendant offered her a wheelchair to help her get Zachary on the plane. Another flight attendant offered to give her an air sickness bag just in case her became sick again.
“A person passes by us, then comes back up to us, then squats down and says, ma’am I don’t think he’s going to be able to fly tonight.“
Killman was told it was because her son could possibly have a stomach virus. Even after she insisted that was not the case and that her son was anxious because of his Autism. She as still asked to deplane. The next day she called JetBlue about the incident. She was told that the company made no mention of her son's disabilities which she insists she told the flight crew about.
Killman was refunded the money for the tickets and took her son to the doctor to make sure that he didn't have a stomach virus. Her son's doctor diagnosed him with Social Anxiety Disorder.
Four In Your Corner wanted to see if this was standard procedure for an airlines. After reaching out to reached out to JetBlue Away Corporation they provided the following statement.
"The safety and health of all on board is our top priority. After an evaluation by the crew determined that the condition of the customer posed a risk of an escalated medical incident during flight, the customers were asked to deplane and offered reaccommodation on a later flight once the customer was deemed fit to fly. The customers declined reaccomodation and their tickets were refunded."
JetBlue's contract of carriage says that the airline may refuse to transport a customer if they have, "A communicable disease or infections or whose conditions poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others."
The Department of Transportation addresses the concern on their website as well. It states that an airline may refuse to transport a passenger for any of the reasons listed in their contract of carriage.
