US Airways Tells Man He's Too Disabled to Fly

A motivational speaker with cerebral palsy said he was humiliated when he was kicked off a US Airways flight after being told he was too disabled to fly alone.

"I was raised to believe I could grow up doing what I wanted to do and it didn't lead me to any entitlement," Johnnie Tuitel, 47, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Saturday. "By them denying me the ability to fly, I couldn't do my job."

Tuitel, 47, of Grand Rapids Township, Mich., said he has flown over 500,000 miles to give motivational speeches, but he missed one because of the Sept. 23 incident at Palm Beach International Airport.

Johnnie Tuitel's Website

After helping him into his seat aboard a flight from West Palm Beach to Kansas City, a US Airways gate agent returned and wheeled Tuitel back to the terminal, he said.

"He told me I could fly on US Airways if I could find a companion to go with me because I was a danger to myself and others if something went wrong," Tuitel told WZZM-TV. "Trust me, they made a mistake."

Tuitel flew solo two days later on another airline, but by then he had missed the speech he was scheduled to give at the 2010 National Self Advocacy Conference.

US Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder said the gate agent was following company policy.

"The airline requires that the passenger has to be physically able to assist himself or herself in the event of an emergency. If the passenger cannot, the airline requires that someone else travels with the passenger who can provide assistance in the event of an emergency," she told the television station.

Tuitel said he has contacted US Airways officials and plans to meet with them in coming weeks to discuss his concerns with the company policy.

He said he hopes the company will change its policy to include a personal discussion with each person who buys a ticket so they know what to expect and eliminate any embarrassment.

[GetAGrip007]

In the event of an emergency the airlines HAS to make sure they can get everybody off the plane safely- like it or not- this may mean that some disabled folks will need to travel with an aide. Common sense must prevail!

[pem69]

there is no common sense anymore. it is give me what i want or i call discrimanation and sue.

[bobnjersey]

["The airline requires that the passenger has to be physically able to assist himself or herself in the event of an emergency. If the passenger cannot, the airline requires that someone else travels with the passenger who can provide assistance in the event of an emergency," she told the television station. ]
-----------------------------------------------------------
what if i suffer from severe anxiety attacks ... and this doesn't show until a stressful situation ... likely in mid flight? i look fine now ... but i'm likely to freak out under specific conditions that might create a safety issue for others. is the airline going to require medical histories ... or maybe a psychological assessment before i'm allowed to board?

[imthaid]

What if...what if...what if...what if you shut up?! We are not doing 1000 scenarios. The airline has every right to refuse service to people who can't help themselves. The flight attendants are not caregivers and baby sitters. They have a job to do. This man should have to expect to bring his own aide.

[bobnjersey]

[What if...what if...what if...what if you shut up?! We are not doing 1000 scenarios.]
---------------------------------------------------
are you now the moderator. you suck at it ... so go fvck yourself!

[pem69]

I agree that a disabled person has the right to fly. No matter the disability. But I also believe it is the disabled persons responsability to find out what the policies of the airline is. If the policy states you need to have someone to assist you then make arrangements for this. If you do not then get turned away then it is on you. I don't care how many times you flew by yourself. each airline has it own policy and as long as you have the right to get it before you fly then you have no right to complain. you want to be self relient but you are not if you are asking flight attendents to help you out in case of emergency. They have many passangers to worry about. This guy should have checked on the policy and because he didn't and didn't ask any of the other passangers for assistance the US did the right thing. This is no reflection on his disability but on the safety of the masses in an event that something should go wrong. He should not be sued because he was not removed because of his disability but because he did not have somneone there to help him as is policy. If he had someone there to help him then he would have been able to fly. So him being removed was not because of his disability.

[bobnjersey]

[This is no reflection on his disability but on the safety of the masses in an event that something should go wrong. ]
-------------------------------------------------------
nearly every 'safety' rule that would apply to a commercial building does not for an airliner. just two examples are space density and emergency egress (exit). all claims of issues of safety on an airliner are simply window dressing.

[TP3D]

this is incredibly ironic

[lawyertom1]

U.S. Airways has a well deserved reputation for being at the bottom of the heap when it comes to customer service. I have never met anyone who has had a good experience with U.S. Airways. This event is just another in a long line of examples of why all consumers should boycott this airline.

[WillowSunstar]

I cannot believe this has happened in this day and age. Are these people really that clueless? Just because someone has a disability, does not mean they cannot take care of themselves. US Airways will lose a lot of money now because people will boycott them due to their backwards views.

[longtree-2009]

if a person can't do all things totally by him/herself, the person should have someone with them at all times. check with airlines before buying a ticket and determine what their policy is with regards to your disability. a disabled person, or anyone for that matter like extremely obese, should be a danger to others should a life/death emergency take place.

[larrryshrine]

by newsterI October 16, 2010 8:13 PM EDT
by larrryshrine October 16, 2010 4:43 PM EDT Thank god for the ADA." ===================================== No,you have it backasswords, you need to CURSE and shun that god for making you disabled in the first place, and thank the PEOPLE at the ADA for fixing the problem this god made in the first place!
---------------------------------Ah, the milk of human kindness. For the record, my concept of God isn't Christian, and I don't blame him/her/it for my disability. That doesn't keep me from giving thanks when something good happens. I have made my way in the world quite well, and asked for little. I now use a service dog - yes, it can be a hassle flying - but Buster and I do quite well together. Sure, we need a little help on planes, but nothing major. But I believe the ADA is essential, for many, many disabled people who are routinely discriminated against. There is, BTW, an ADA hotline at the Justice Department that anyone can call and get clarification on the law.

[askagain]

Perhaps airlines should be required to have a section reserved for wheel chairs or a section where seats can be folded out of the way to accomodate wheel chairs. If public buildings and businesses must be accessable to the disabled, why shouldn't airplanes be required to accomodate the disabled?

[askagain]

filmguy107 - Read the last line of my post. The keyword is accomodate. If airlines must accomodate disabled people, perhaps they have to provide wehatever it takes, including personnel to take care of a disabled person. That might mean providing an aid to be with a disabled person. My mother was a teacher in the 1960's when Federal law began requireing that severely disabled children be put in regular classrooms. My mother had a student who was completely immobile. That meant attending to all of the child's needs.

[John_Merritt]

I too have been told numerous times I was too this, and too that not to be successful; and yet I have shown them time and again just how wrong they are. I am sure many of the passengers sitting in or near the seats of this gentleman would have taken a role of 'buddy' in the event of an emergency.

This just continues to manifest the ludicrous policies that discriminate against better judgement. Some just have to push the envelope and blur lines to make a point, and all it does is cause many of us to distrust the brains behind the brawn of these companies. Yeah we have come a long way.