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Actor Marissa Bode has alleged that she was denied boarding on a flight due to her disability, prompting a response from the airline involved.
Bode, known for playing Nessarose in the film adaptation of 'Wicked', shared her experience in a TikTok video earlier week. In the video, she said, "I was denied boarding a flight because I'm disabled. I wish that were clickbait. I wish that were false, but that is what happened," as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter, According to Bode, the incident occurred while she was travelling to a small town in Pennsylvania, where she had to rely on a connecting flight operated by Southern Airways due to limited travel options. She described the airline as "extremely, extremely small." The actor said that after reaching the gate and asking staff for help locating her boarding pass, she was asked whether she could stand. When she responded that she could not, she was allegedly told she would not be allowed to board. "They said, 'I'm sorry, but because of that, we're going to have to deny you boarding,'" Bode recounted, adding that airline staff informed her that all aircraft in the fleet require passengers to climb stairs to board, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Bode further claimed that her manager had contacted the airline in advance to confirm whether accommodations could be made for her wheelchair use. She said the airline had assured them that it would be possible before the ticket was booked. Expressing her frustration, Bode criticised what she described as a lack of accessibility in airline infrastructure. "Disabled people are not an afterthought," she said in the video, calling the situation "blatant segregation." Southern Airways' contract of carriage states that passengers must be able to ascend and descend several steps to board its aircraft. It also notes that, due to the aircraft's small size, holding 28 or fewer passengers, the airline is not required under the Air Carrier Access Act to provide mechanical lift devices for boarding. Following the viral spread of her video, Bode shared an update saying that a director from the airline's mobility department had contacted her. According to the actor, the official was "mortified," apologised for the incident, and confirmed that an internal review is underway. "They are doing an internal look on things and how this happened," Bode said, adding that the airline remains in contact with her to explore improvements for future accessibility. (ANI)
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