Deaf woman in US claimed she was asked to leave flight because she could not hear, but airline disputes claim
A woman in the United States (US) said Frontier Airlines, a low-cost carrier in North America, asked her to leave the flight because of her hearing disability.
However, a follow-up response from the airline disputed her claims. The story was brought to public attention when a clip was uploaded to TikTok on 13 March.
It has since garnered over 2.1 million views and over 4,500 comments, with netizens expressing outrage and urging her to file suit.
Woman claims she was booted from flight for her disability
“I was removed from a flight because I am deaf,” the woman wrote in the caption. She further added that the gate agent apologised for the behaviour of the flight attendant when she rebooked.
In the clip, she claims a flight attendant had approached her before departure. Because she did not hear the flight attendant, she claims the attendant took that as non-compliance and asked her to leave the flight. A woman who appears to be a gate agent defended her, saying that her air ticket indicated her disability.
Despite that, the woman was still asked to leave. She complied with the order.
“It’s embarrassing to walk up the aisle when I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said.
Source: @legallyswiftie13 on TikTok
Airline offers contradicting story
According to a statement obtained by Live And Let’s Fly, the airline disputed the woman’s version of events.
They said the woman was not asked to leave because of her disability, but rather because she was in possession of an open container of alcohol.
“According to the flight attendant directly involved in the matter, the passenger boarded with an open container, which she admitted contained alcohol when questioned,” they said.
This violated Frontier policy and US federal law.
Source: @legallyswiftie13 on TikTok
“There was no indication on the passenger’s reservation that she is deaf or has any form of disability,” the airlines noted.
Frontier Airlines added that the woman was “clearly and effectively conversing with them during interactions”.
Woman speaks about going deaf
In December 2024, she posted a TikTok clip sharing how she found out she was going deaf in her twenties.
A routine ear cleaning during a doctor visit eventually turned into her finding out that her hearing is “rapidly declining”.
The woman noted that she requires hearing aids and is considering cochlear implants, an electronic device that restores hearing.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from @legallyswiftie13 on TikTok.
