A deaf woman has told of her embarrassment after claiming to have been removed from a Frontier Airlines flight for not being able to hear the flight attendant, despite contrary accounts from the airline.
“I was removed from a flight because I am deaf,” the woman, named Ashley, wrote in the caption of a TikTok video sharing her experience. “Frontier Airlines please train your flight attendants on disability accommodations, specifically when somebody is deaf/hard of hearing.”
When contacted by The Independent, a spokesperson from Frontier said the woman had actually been removed from the aircraft after she boarded with an open container that she admitted had alcohol in – in violation of company policy and federal law.
In the video, other passengers can be heard expressing their own outrage as the woman is told that she must get off the aircraft.
“I’m so embarrassed… I didn’t do anything wrong” she says, appearing severely distressed. She adds: “I’m going to go, I'm not resisting. I don’t want them to say I’m resisting leaving or anything.”
Social media users also came to her defense in the comment section of the video, with one writing: “Wow! Enjoy winning your lawsuit because this is actually a horrible display of disability discrimination. A lack of accommodation when it is clearly on your ticket as valid is disgusting!”
Ashley also noted that: “When I went to rebook, the gate agents apologized for the flight attendant’s behavior.”
“This incident emphasizes the importance of adequate training for airline personnel on how to effectively accommodate passengers with disabilities,” she wrote.
However, in their statement, the Frontier spokesperson said that there was “no indication on the passenger’s reservation” that she was deaf or had any form of disability, adding that, according to various personnel who interacted with the passenger, “she was clearly and effectively conversing with them during interactions.”
“According to the flight attendant directly involved in the matter, the passenger boarded with an open container which she admitted contained alcohol when questioned. Bringing an open container of alcohol on board violates both Frontier policy and federal law,” the statement read.
“When the flight attendant informed the passenger of the violation, the passenger rapidly consumed the remaining alcohol in the cup before handing it over. Flight attendants further noted that the cup the passenger brought on board was affixed with a sticker advising that federal law prohibits carrying this alcoholic beverage on board an aircraft.”
This has resulted in the decision to remove the woman from the flight, the spokesperson added.
