Mom is removed from Southwest Airlines flight after her three-year-old autistic son refused to wear a face mask
- Alyssa Sadler said her flight from Midland, Texas, was returned to the port
- Her three-year-old son started throwing a fit when she tried to hook up his mask
- Only children under the age of two are exempt from wearing a mask on flights
A mother said her family were removed from a flight after her three-year-old autistic son would not wear a face mask.
Alyssa Sadler, from Houston, Texas, said her Southwest Airlines flight from Midland to Houston was returning to the port when her son refused to wear the mask.
She was also traveling with her one-year-old daughter on Monday when her son started throwing a fit while trying to put on his face mask.
The boy has a sensory processing disorder and does not like to touch his face.
Alyssa Sadler, from Houston, Texas, said her flight from Southwest Airlines from Midland, to Houston, was returned to the port after her three-year-old autistic son refused to wear a face mask (file photo)
An airplane saw that he would not put on the mask and the flight was returned to the gate despite Mrs. Sadler’s note from the boy’s doctor about his condition.
Ms Sadler wrote on Facebook: ‘If you get off flight because your 3 year old autistic child will not wear a mask.
‘It looks like I’m sitting in the middle here. ‘
Ms Sadler said the captain announced the reason for the early return over the loudspeaker, and told the plane that an unaccompanied passenger refused to wear a face mask.
In July, Southwest and American Airlines tightened their face mask rules by eliminating exceptions for medical reasons, with children under two exempt from the policy
She said an escort helped remove her family’s luggage and that airline officials later blamed her son for non-compliance with the carrier’s policy.
She said: ‘He screamed. He throws a fit. He shouted “no, no, no”.
‘They’re about the security features and all that, and the airman walks by and tells me he needs to put on a mask,’ she told KPRC.
‘So, I’m trying to put the mask on him. He is three and has autism and sensory processing disorders, so he would not wear the mask. ‘
A plane noted that he would not wear the mask and the flight was returned to the gate despite Mrs. Sadler’s note from the boy’s doctor about his condition, Sadler says
In July, Southwest and American Airlines tightened their face mask rules by eliminating exceptions for medical reasons, with children under two exempt from the policy.
All U.S. airlines have similar mandatory face mask policies and the family will receive full compensation for their flight.
Southwest Airlines said: ‘We are communicating this policy to all customers at multiple touchpoints throughout the journey, so we regret the inconvenience this family has experienced.
‘If a customer for some reason can not wear face mask, Southwest regrets that we can not transport the individual.’
A member of the family will drive Sadler and her children to Houston today.
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