An Arkansas family was removed from a Spirit Airlines flight after its 4-year-old child with autism was unable to wear a face mask.
“Kids on the spectrum, they’re usually very obsessed with something. He is obsessed with airplanes. So, he was sitting in his seat being quiet and looking out the window, and this lady was like, ‘Get off!'” said Callie Kimball, whose 4-year-old son is nonverbal and has autism.
“He has a disability. It’s protected under the American Disability Act, and they go, ‘No, no, no, no. Autism’s not a disability. He has to wear a mask, or he has to get off the plane,” Kimball said.
Kimball said she told the airline that her son would “harm himself” if forced to wear the mask, in part because he holds his breath when he has the mask on.
The airline said, however, that its current mask policy does not allow for medical exemptions.
“We sympathize with families facing additional burdens while traveling, including those dealing with medical conditions,” a spokesperson for Spirit Airlines said in a statement.
“We remind Guests of our face-covering policy throughout the booking process, in a pre-trip email, and in a required acknowledgment that is part of the check-in procedure. Our existing policy does not provide for medical exemptions, regardless of diagnosis. Our Team Members explained this to our Guests, but never questioned anyone’s medical status in the process,” the statement continued.
Spirit cited federal regulations requiring masks in airports and on planes but noted that updated guidance will allow travelers to apply for exemptions beginning later this week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an order last month making masks mandatory on commercial flights and in airports, but the guidance does allow for exemptions for people with disabilities who may not safely wear a mask “because of the disability as defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act.”
Department of Justice guidelines also take on the issue of wearing masks during the pandemic, saying that the “ADA does not provide a blanket exemption to people with disabilities from complying with legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operations.”
The Kimballs, who were trying to return home from a trip to Las Vegas, said American Airlines accepted the medical note, and the family was able to make the journey home.
Kimball said she sympathizes with the need for caution during the pandemic but stressed that there should be reasonable exceptions to policies for people like her son.
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“I’ve never in my life, like, being the parent of an autistic kid is really hard, and I’ve never in my life experienced that kind of discrimination from someone,” Kimball said.
