A South Carolina mom took to Facebook after she and her infant son were removed from a flight on Thursday because of their genetic skin condition.
Jordan Flake was flying with her son Jackson from El Paso to Dallas, Texas, to visit her husband, Chris, before he deployed for the military. After seating themselves on the plane, an airline employee asked two men sitting next to Flake to stand.
"He then quietly asked me about 'my rash' and if I had a letter from a doctor stating it was ok for me to fly," wrote Flake.
Flake and her son Jackson have Ichthyosis, a condition that dries out their skin.
After explaining their condition to the flight attendant, Flake said that he returned to the crew and Googled her condition.
She wrote, "He came back and said he apologized but we wouldn't be able to fly and we had to get off the plane. He helped me get my bags and Jackson."
"He talked to the pilot as we were getting off. The pilot seemed ok with it, but the flight attendant rudely said (without even acknowledging me) 'well she doesn't have a letter from a doctor, so...'"
The man who helped her off the plane, assisted Flake with a hotel booking and flight with a different airline.
She spoke highly of him writing, "He was very helpful and mad about the situation. He tried advocating for me!"
Due to American Airlines' crew's decision, Flake had to make unexpected childcare arrangements for her daughter at home and had to go to the store to get lotions and clothes since the airline couldn't retrieve her checked luggage.
She wrote: "I have never been so humiliated in my life! I have emailed them and am waiting for a reply."
To make matters worse, the incident occurred on Rare Disease Day.
"Happy Rare Disease Day! Quit being ignorant and take the time to listen to people! I shouldn't have to explain myself," Flake wrote.
American Airlines has refunded the mom and son's plane tickets and apologized.
The airline told Yahoo Lifestyle, "Our goal at American Airlines is to create a welcoming environment for all of our customers. We sincerely apologize to Ms. Flake and her son for the experience they had yesterday, and our team has begun an investigation into the matter. Our Customer Relations team has already spoken to her directly and upgraded them on their flights. We will also be refunding the cost of her trip as well."
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