A family is claiming the airline refused to let their family onto a flight. (Reuters)
A family of seven is upset with American Airlines, claiming the airliner kept them off a flight because of an incident that happened just before boarding.
Adam and Heather Halkuff are parents to five sons all under the age of 16. Two have autism.
The relatives said they were planning a trip from Dallas to Kansas City, Missouri. Out of concern for his sons, Adam said he reached out to American Airlines to ask them about traveling with autistic children.
“I first contacted American Airlines and I asked them if there were any programs or anything they can do for us because we’d be traveling with five boys, two that had autism,” Adam said to WMAQ.
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A representative for American Airlines confirmed the airline spoke to the family over a week before the trip and set up a dry-run to get the children comfortable with the process of flying.
“When it comes to autism, American is a strong advocate for children. Our team members work closely with various nonprofit groups to alleviate the stress these children and their families may experience while flying, including offering families the opportunity to take a test fight on the ground. This process — which includes role playing and realistic airport interactions — helps children grow accustomed to the experience of flight,” American Airlines told Fox News in a statement.
“On Sept. 24, more than a week before their trip, 5-year-old Milo and 2-year-old Ollie went through a mock scenario at the airport, practicing the process of going through security and boarding a plane."
However, the day of the flight did not go as smoothly as planned. Milo had a meltdown during boarding.
“All the passengers are walking by. They're very kind, they're like 'You got this, mom. Don’t worry about it. Do you need any help?'" Heather explained to WMAQ.
Eventually, when Heather went to board with the rest of her family, the ticketing agent reportedly told them they were not allowed on the flight.
“He can't get on the flight… He's going to bother the other passengers and then he'll still be upset during the flight and we'll have to turn around and escort you off the plane," Heather said the ticketing agent told her, WMAQ reported.
Heather said she and her husband made the decision to split up and she would travel on with the older children while Adam went home with Milo.
"I’m thinking now that my older boys," Heather said of her decision to split up, "I don't want them to resent Milo, ever, that we can't do stuff."
When Heather tried to board with her older sons, she claimed the ticketing agent would not allow any of them on. All seven reportedly were escorted from the gate.
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Heather said she was upset that her son wasn’t given a chance by the airline staff.
“Don’t say, ‘Oh, look at that autistic kid crying. He’s going to ruin this whole flight. Let’s not even let him on,’” she said.
American Airlines told Fox News it's been in touch with the family and has continued to look into the case.
“We are concerned to hear about this situation. Our team has reached out to the Halkuff family to gather more information about what transpired at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). The American Airlines team is committed to providing a safe and pleasant travel experience for all of our customers,” the airliner said.
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