A 4-year-old Arkansas boy with autism was ripped off Monday from a Spirit Airlines flight for not wearing a mask, despite having a medical note that the airline had accepted on the flight to its destination.
The experience devastated little Carter Kimball, her mother says.
What are the details?
KTHV-TV spoke with Callie Kimball, who told the media that her husband and son, Carter, began the return flight through Dallas after visiting the family in Las Vegas.
Callie explained that she and her husband have flown several times with Carter, who is very autistic and non-verbal, and who loves airplanes.
Carter’s doctor provided them with a letter to carry during the trip explaining that Carter is exempt from mask warrants due to his disability. According to Callie, when Carter wears a mask he “starts to freak out,” “holds his breath,” and “will hurt himself.”
He said the Little Rock family has always flown on Spirit Airlines and never had any problems until Monday, when an airline employee informed them once they boarded that “autism is not a disability” and “should bring a mask to get off the plane “.
To make matters worse, while Carter and his father were expelled, the airline would not allow Carter’s babysitter — who was traveling with them to help with Carter — to get off the plane with them.
Stranded in Dallas, the father and son were able to take a flight home from American Airlines for $ 1,000 out of their own pocket and American accepted Carter’s medical note. But the Kimball family still has no money for the return flight of the Spirit from which they were launched and the airline has not responded to their request for a refund.
“So we got out of all our flights, a thousand dollars and we have a son who is baffled now that he threw all the planes at him,” the mother told KTHV.
Something else?
Carter is not the first autistic child to have problems with Spirit Airlines.
Last September, a Chicago family said the airline sent them a letter banning 3-year-old Cebastian Lewis after removing the mask on a flight back home.
During a stopover, according to the family, Spirit employees removed the entire plane and filed a police report against the family.
According to WFLD-TV, Spirit argued that the family used blasphemies and was uncooperative.
Regardless, the dam reported:
Spirit issued a statement, saying they require facial coverage throughout the flight. The only exceptions are children under 2 years. Passengers who are unable to carry them for any reason, including medical, will not be able to fly Spirit.