Family kicked off flight for child's 'bomb threat'... but he has Tourette's

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Yes, we booked the flights with British Airways. Um, we we rang him before we went. We explained exactly everything we could possibly say. We explained that there's a very strong chance that he probably would say the word bomb, plane crash, everything that you could think of that was linked to an airport. There's a high chance that he's going to say it. Um, and and they were fine. They told us, "No problem. Don't worry. You go to accessibility lane." We got the languard for him. So, it clearly said, "I have Tourett or whatever it said on it." We had the diagnosis letters with us. Um we went through security seamlessly. Uh no problem. Went right through the assess the accessibility um lane.

[00:00:40]>> Brilliant. Uh and then when we went to board the plane, we literally got to the door of the plane, the um the duty the British Airways duty um duty manager was there and she said, "Can we can we speak to you in private?" Um and I we kind of knew at that point what was going to happen. Uh, so we just said, "Well, actually, you can do it in front of every pasture. If you're going to tell us we can't get on this flight because my son's a disability, you can say it in front of another 200 people." Um, so, uh, yeah, that that was basically it.

[00:01:13]And then she said that, um, she wait made us wait for 45 minutes and the captain wanted to speak to us. He didn't talk to us. We didn't even meet him. Um, waited there for 40 minutes. Uh, you know, at this time the kids are getting very agitated, stressed out. um especially Mason and then in turn his ticks were getting a lot worse. Um and then she the duty manager the same lady come out.

[00:01:35]>> I completely believe you and I understand why you're upset but we have to have to take these allegations.

[00:01:42]>> Basically said you're um due I think the words were exactly due to being a safety threat to the passengers and a bomb threat.

[00:01:52]>> So we are refusing your son and yourselves travel simply based off of safety. fact that >> but you are under he has lots of refusal.

[00:02:00]>> Yes. And I've said that to that's why I have consulted.

[00:02:03]>> Can I ask is that because he had said bomb at some point in the >> but the this this is for us we just really trying to understand the situation. We can't get heads around.

[00:02:15]Mason said bomb throughout the whole process of the airport when we were checking in when we went through security when we're in the airport. He said it at the gate and he said it at the plane. But he said it continuously throughout the day. Wasn't just bomb.

[00:02:28]There was lots of other things that were said as well, but bomb was one of the ones that he he frequently used. Um he said it throughout the airport. So we just can't get our heads around why wasn't we pulled aside a lot earlier. I told from the very beginning actually you're probably not going to get on a plane if he does use this word. And then we could have seek advice before we went. But they waited until we got to the very very door of the plane before they turned us away. Um, which for me that probably isn't even the worst part. Um, the worst part after that is obviously Mason's then land on the floor. He's crying his eyes out, ticking a lot, apologizing to people.

[00:03:03]Um, and and he said to one of the other party, which we only found out yesterday that what's the point of my life if I can't if I can't do anything? Um, which is, you know, it's heartbreaking as a parent to hear hear that sort of thing.

[00:03:15]and and their response to that and the way Mason was, which they could clearly see um was to escort us out with three armed officers. There was no assistance, no help. We just got I mean it's intimidating as an adult with a policeman with a gun behind you, let alone a distressed child. So all the way through the airport, he'd become worse, more vocal.

[00:03:35]>> I mean, I'm listening to your story for the first time. anyone listening to this for the first time. You had given them advanced notice of what might happen.

[00:03:45]>> Yeah.

[00:03:45]>> And the reason for it, it did happen. So they should have understood the reason for it. What I don't understand, and I wonder whether you've asked this question, why didn't they think to just let the entire plane know that there was a young lad with >> This kind of brings me on. So eventually, this is the ironic thing. We actually flew over. We're over here now.

[00:04:09]Um, we managed to fly over a company called, I believe, pronounced Fueling.

[00:04:13]>> Yeah.

[00:04:13]>> Um, ironically, it's a sister company of British Airways. Um, so it's is technically owned by the same people.

[00:04:20]Um, we went on with them and I cannot praise him enough. The captain boarded us first. The duty manager met us before we ever went to the gate. He chat to us.

[00:04:28]The captain come out, give every give my wife a big cuddle, went onto the plane.

[00:04:32]He put us at the back of the plane, blocked out the front row seats in front of us. Um, and then once we're on the plane, he then went into the waiting room and made an announcement to all the other passengers of the situation. And then every passenger then were absolutely brilliant. There was no And then with that happening, Mason's ticks were a lot calmer because he felt relaxed. So, you know, there was a few ticks on the plane and there might have been the, you know, maybe in the two and a half hour flight, he must have been once, but no one had an idea.

[00:05:00]>> Have you told BA this?

[00:05:02]>> We haven't heard from BA at all. um on the Saturday morning when we sorry the Sunday morning when we reject the flights on the Saturday night um I rang them uh and they basically just said we can compensate the free flights um and obviously I explained the bigger situation and he said well you're a bomb threat you know uh but this is a bit above me and he was going to pass it on and um I personally haven't heard anything from BA uh albeit I didn't make the booken our friend made the booken uh he has written a formal complaint, but as of yet, he's not received anything back. Um, so we've not heard anything.

[00:05:38]We've asked all the questions. We've asked everything we can.

[00:05:42]>> To the contrast between the two flights, >> you know, armed police officers escorting your son and his parents away.

[00:05:52]Um, and you have you have a one-year-old daughter, don't you? And an older child as well, older than >> Yeah. So, so this was our second part part of the argument because obviously we have we have an older an older child who 16, a friend was with us as well.

[00:06:05]Um, and even my friends, we booked as a party of 10. And if like I say, the reason the reason we were refused to fly was being a bomb threat. If that was true, why would they then my daughter back on a plane when we have mixed luggage underneath the plane? She had our items in her suitcases. If it was that much of a bomb threat, how can they then let six other passengers back on the plane? To me, from this terrorist cell.

[00:06:30]>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. You know, we've literally been marched out. No feeling feeling that way.

[00:06:35]>> Take me to that moment with the armed officers particularly from the impact that had on Mason.

[00:06:41]>> So, the three free officers were uh they actually come down to the bridge uh and they stood there. So, we kind of knew what was going to happen straight away because they they sent the passengers up. They brought the three armed officers down. Uh they didn't really say a lot. They just stood there. um the gentleman that took us out when when he escorted us out. So once we come off the bridge, the other two left and he he took us the rest of the way through the airport. Um to be fair, he was he was okay. He wasn't he wasn't too bad. But the fact that you know he he was escorting us out and you get the other passengers all staring and then you know I think he was I think you know I did think he sympathized with us a little bit but obviously he's doing his job.

[00:07:19]He's got to stay in partial and I completely understand that. A and you mentioned there that there might be compensation for the extra flight that you had to buy.

[00:07:29]>> No, no, no, no, no, no.

[00:07:30]>> Did I misunderstand that? Sorry.

[00:07:31]>> Yeah. No, sorry. They offered refunds for the original flight for the free for the three of us that come up with >> but not for the subsequent ones. Yeah.

[00:07:38]>> Yeah. The British Airways flights.

[00:07:40]>> What lesson do you want them to take away from this and and anyone listening to take away from this?

[00:07:46]>> Oh, I just think if one airline can do it, then every line every airline can do it. you know, it wasn't difficult. It wasn't the plane set off on time. There was no disruptions. So, if if if that's the standards that one airline can set, then then the rest of them, I think, should be on par with that. Uh it's just, you know, this is what we're trying to do now is create awareness that it isn't behavior. He he doesn't choose to do it. It is invol completely and utterly involuntary. He, you know, he's the last person that wants to be sh He doesn't want to be shouting these things. He just can't help it. the way the way sorry the way he he described it is almost like a he a sneeze that you that you're trying to hold in. So it's the way he you know he he described that as me which obviously I don't even understand really you know I'm only going by what >> but there's there's a wider there's a wider lesson in it isn't there for for people with disabilities or and about the rest of us when we deal with people with when we meet people with disability not deal with them. Um, you did your bit. You played your part ahead of ahead of the flight and and you were greeted the way you were, you know, in that first flight with BA. Um, do people typically do you think, not just Tourette's, but do you think we are still far too nervous of people with disabilities of all kinds?

[00:09:05]Yes, I I think yeah, I I definitely do think that I was actually I must admit I was absolutely shocked because the awareness especially around Tourette's at the moment with the film and and and the charity Tourette's action what they've been doing it is is really relevant at the moment and so much awareness about it. So this one especially is a little bit harder to sort of take because there is so much about it, especially with the bafters, you know, a little while ago. It's is so sort of recent at the m I'm struggling to understand why they they ain't they ain't um they're not following sort of any sort of training or or You think?