Boy with Tourette’s denied boarding after bomb remark

[TamanTun]

I was just thinking about the news article about the 13 year old boy who was denied boarding after shouted ‘bomb’ at the gate. His parents had warned the airline in advance, he had his diagnosis letter on him and was wearing a sunflower lanyard. Imagine a world where others would understand and be supportive in a case like this rather than what happened. The family had done everything they could to avoid something like this but yet it did happen. Why can we all not be more accepting? I suppose it comes with educating others and does depend on the situation.

People saying it’s a child so it’s different and shouting bomb should be ignored. Unfortunately unscrupulous people use children, grannies, pregnant women etc so you can’t just ignore a selection of people thinking it doesn’t matter which is why we all go through endless security at airports which is constantly being improved all the time as nothing is fool proof.

Never heard of the Russian spy who got away with it for years by telling people his job was "a Russian Spy" and everyone thought how funny he was..?

I thought the family hadn't warned the airline in advance.

All it takes is one person to fake the same diagnosis and there’s a plane full of lives lost. The airline cannot be slapdash about this. Unfortunate for the family, but completely the right decision.

It’s a tough one but ultimately I do think the airline where right.

DS is autistic and very nervous about flying. If someone where to shout something like this at boarding he would be unable to board because at best he would freeze at worse he would have a violent meltdown and run away from the gate.

As much as I am all for being accepting that can’t be an absolute without thinking of others and their needs.

Absolutely. I watched the incredible film and then read John’s book afterwards. I went out for dinner a few weeks ago, and the lad on the next table had (I think) a form of Tourette’s and because I had seen the I Swear film and read his book it made me have so much more empathy and understanding about the situation. I just ignored all the shouting and tics and it didn’t bother me because now I know what it’s like from someone’s perspective with Tourette’s.

It is possible to drive to Spain.

It’s entirely appropriate to deny boarding to someone whose actions could cause extreme distress on board an aeroplane at 50000 feet. Sometimes, the rights of the other 350 passengers override the rights of just 1

I agree. I have an adult child with a learning disability who is unable to behave normally in crowds and is non-verbal. I'd never take her on a plane. It would be fair to nobody.

Actually my mistake, the family did tell BA the day before. I think this is a difficult one and I can see both sides. I don't think the parents behaviour helped though.

Probably though the airline's concern isn't that he may have a bomb, but the panic caused if it sounds like he's seen a bomb?

Exactly

The boy's family didn't help themselves, if you're hoping for people to be more understanding then immediately getting in the official's face and filming them smacks of entitlement. Yes, if accommodations can be made to help a disabled child's life easier than they should be but disability can't be a sacred cow where no one is allowed to raise an issue.

Yes, why is everyine ignoring the fact that the parent's actions are probably what made them unable to fly? Clearly someone with Tourettes can fly, as they did the following day.

If my children were on a plane with someone shouting bomb, they would have spent the next few hours crying and distressed until we landed.
one persons disability shouldn’t trump hundreds of people feeling safe. It’s sad but it’s reality .

Why does he shout "bomb" ?
I saw a TV programme about Tourettes & the person had been trained to say "biscuit". Why can't this lad be trained ?

I think the airline were right, they have a 'plane full of passengers to consider.

Disability legislation only requires ‘reasonable adjustments’ be made.

It doesn’t mean that disabled people must be accommodated at all times in every situation, because that’s just not possible, and in some cases would place a disproportionate burden (usually financial) on the service provider.

Telling them the day before means nothing if the kid turns up and tries to distress 350 other people.

It takes a lot of entitledness to impose such a worry and commotion on a plane full of holiday makers. I would avoid planes and simply take a car or car plus ferry, provided ferries don't have the same security rules. My dc gets super fidgety and a bit hyper so I don't take him to the theatre or classical concerts. Why would I impose his disruptive behaviour on others in the audience?

I went on a couple of short haul flights recently and they announced on the tannoy that you should not film anyone or the flight crew without their permission. I thought at the time surely people wouldn’t be doing this but I guess I now know why but in this case I think it had favoured the airline.

@JugglingMyNuts

you can’t just ignore a selection of people thinking it doesn’t matter which is why we all go through endless security at airports which is constantly being improved all the time as nothing is fool proof

(my added emphasis).

Agreed...some of those thinking "been through security so you can assume there can't be a problem" are maybe a bit naive.

Once/if a comment is perceived as a threat the crew have to take it seriously....whether that meant offloading in these circumstances - no idea, don't have the full story, but I can see the that airline/crew might have felt they had no option, especially if other passengers were becoming concerned or even frightened.

Are you thinking of Jess Thom? She hasn’t been ‘trained’ to say biscuit, it’s just one of her most prevalent tics - she says it up to 16,000 times a day.

ETA: people with Tourette’s can’t be ‘trained’ to say a different word. Some people are able to suppress the tics for a little while but it always ends up coming out (often in a bigger way) in the end.

According to John Davidson (of the film I Swear) the ticks make him shout the worst possible thing that can be said in that moment, the reason he shouted "Fuck the Queen" when being presented with his MBE.

It doesn't mean that rude and aggressive parents should be allowed on planes either.

Why would you be terrified if you were warned before take off by the cabin crew that they had a passenger on board who had Tourette’s and was liable to say inappropriate things?

Genuinely shocked at the attitude of people on here. He has a disability. He didn’t have a bomb, he wasn’t a threat and the airline could have easily put an announcement out on the tannoy to inform people of this. But no, let’s just make the world a much smaller, lonelier place for anyone with a disability.

Yes, it's the fact that the parents were apparently not able to control themselves, listen to instructions, obey the rules and work with the staff to find a solution that ended up being the issue here that prevented the family boarding the plane.

I wouldn't want them in the cabin at 23,000 feet next high to me, filming everything with their phones, and giving everyone the benefit of their loud opinions for two increasingly fraught hours. Perhaps taking time out overnight was the best option in the circs.