Wed, Jun 22, 2011
Pilot Said It Was "Not Safe" For Him To Fly
A quadriplegic man who had boarded a Frontier Airlines flight
with his family in Dallas was removed from the airliner because the
pilot said it was not safe for him to fly.
John Morris had traveled to Dallas from Denver on Frontier
without a problem, according to his mother who was with him.
Morris, who was paralyzed in a snow boarding accident five years
ago, has limited upper body control. He had flown Frontier on
earlier occasions as well, using the lap belt extension airlines
offer to larger passengers to secure him in his seat. But on this
occasion, the pilot refused to take off with Mr. Morris strapped to
the seat in that way.
Television station KMGH reports that another passenger overheard
one of the crew say that the lap belt extensions could not be used
for "medical purposes," so he and another passenger offered the use
of their belts to secure Mr. Morris for the flight. Instead, the
airline called the airport police, who were very apologetic to the
family and informed the pilot that it was not a law enforcement
matter. But the bottom line became that the pilot, who reportedly
never spoke to the Morris family, refused to take off with Mr.
Morris on the plane.
For its part, Frontier defended the actions of the pilot, saying
through a spokesperson that he did what he though was best for the
safety of all concerned, including the disabled man. The airline
made arrangements for the Morris family to fly on the next
available flight to Denver, and that pilot reportedly had no issues
with the disabled person being on the plane.
The station reports that the Morris family is planning legal
action, but John Morris says it's not for the money. He said he
wanted to be sure he was the last person to be treated in such a
way by Frontier. He says he'll continue to fly the airline, but
that its policies need to be changed. The Frontier spokesman said
the airline was investigating the incident.
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