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.

How much do you trust the pissed up, unruly and abusive passsengers to apply that same logic though?

Get away? Where? They’re on a plane. If they truly believe there is a bomb there’s not a lot of point in running. But had the airline told people then there would have been no need for panic anyway. People acknowledge that reasonable adjustments should be made yet seem to think it’s too much trouble to make a tannoy announcement or even tell people in person as they are boarding. Sod the distress and upset to the person with the disability who has now been made to feel like a second class citizen because of ‘behaviour’ completely out of their control.

That’s a ‘them’ problem not the child’s

He did provide medical proof and in fact airport security is one area where you do actually have to prove your disability ( quite rightly). For example I’m unable to go through metal detectors or be ‘wanded’ as I have an in built medical computer device. I carry proof to access a ‘pat down’ instead.

@lifeisgoodrightnow

a simple tannoy announcement should have sufficed

Not for some/many nervous passengers, it really won't.

You have to meet and talk to a few to realise how deeply anxious some passengers are and just how high a percentage of passengers are nervous.

When was working we were even cautioned against using some of the more extreme weather vocab (so Thunderstorms became showers) in our PAs.

i'd suggest a simple tannoy announcement may well not suffice if someone on board is tic'ing "bomb", and if it doesn't then the crew might have a right mess on their hands.

If they are that nervous about flying it’s them who should be adjusting their behaviour not the child

Oh I agree. They could rapidly make it everybody else's problem on a flight though and therein lies the problem. It's horrible for the poor child and family, for whom I have huge sympathy.

ETA - If I could choose to fly on planes full of children with disabilities and their families rather than drunk idiots that would be my preference by far. Sadly the latter seem far more prevalent.

And deaf or very elderly people who may not hear a tannoy but may hear somebody next to them screaming BOMB? Is their disability second priority?

Ummmm......

If they can’t hear a tannoy then they have a card handed to them as in the case of the safety announcement

Perhaps the parents could have behaved in a manner that was acceptable to the airline.

It’s all getting so complicated and unworkable.

You’re also forgetting the legal implications.

If the airline accept responsibility for informing other passengers of the Tourette’s to mitigate their distress; are they legally responsible if (eg) somebody goes to the loo and doesn’t hear it, then panics and has a medical episode or panic attack?

They don’t want this kind of responsibility and I don’t blame them.

Where does it say they didn't?

All of these problems fall away in light of the fact that the boy travelled without problems on another carrier a few days later.

So? Nobody is saying he actually had a bomb?

Being protected from discrimination doesn’t mean protected from having to abide by rules and regulations - or the law.

It’s called “reasonable” adjustments.

An airline can decide it’s not reasonable to risk scaring 200+ other passengers mid flight.

Exactly x well said I can’t believe the ignorance Tourette’s sufferers are still facing. Have people learnt nothing ?

if you’re a nervous flyer there’s medication, hypnosis, special learning flights.

for Tourette’s - a disability and a protected characteristic there’s currently no cure or treatment

It’s no more complicated than the safety announcement or announcement for nut allergies

Same rule for everyone!

"if you’re a nervous flyer there’s medication, hypnosis, special learning flights"

For info those concerned say some of the above works, some doesn't, depends on the individual.

Many regulators are also not keen on medication for use in flight for safety reasons...

And there’s nothing for Tourette’s - which again is a recognised disability and a protected characteristic

As opposed to post boarding once the flight has taken off?

How would the order of boarding make the tourettes disappear?

so you agree they knew he didn’t have a bomb but were scared of a disabled child shouting about a non existent bomb?

Clearly asking the airport manager for her full name while being filmed with the express purpose of shamming her on SM isn't what I'd call reasonable behaviour

My disabled son said we had dangerous substances in our bags at check in in Italy. By 30 minutes later I had decided to go back via train.l with him and DD plus DH back by plane. The issue was that we had mixed bags for packing. By a process of calm discussions with son who was repetitively stimming mainly we rules IHT locations where the