An airline employee seemed to think the woman had a contagious disease.
A South Carolina woman said she has “never been so humiliated” after American Airlines AAL, -2.66% forced her and her child to get off a plane due to their dry skin, a side effect of a rare disease called Ichthyosis.
Ichthyosis is a genetic disorder that affects the skin’s ability to shed dead skin cells, causing skin to become dry, thick, and scaly. It is relatively common, according to FIRST, a foundation for Ichthyosis and other skin diseases, and affects 1 in 80 people to varying degrees. “Our goal at American Airlines is to create a welcoming environment for all of our customers,” the spokesman said. “We sincerely apologize to Ms. Flake and her son for the experience they had Thursday, and our team has begun an investigation into the matter.”
Plane passengers can be removed from a plane at any time under the contract of carriage, which they agree to when they buy a ticket. Flight attendants are allowed to suggest the removal of a passenger for any reason, and the decision is subject to final approval from the pilots. “If anything comes out of this, I hope it’s that whatever individual put this into action realizes they were wrong and unkind, and will think twice next time,” she said. “If I am not to judge people based on their gender, skin color, or relationship status, then I should not be judged based off of the way I was born.”
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