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.

FMI: www.frontierairlines.com