Woman upset after being kicked off plane due to skin disease

Article content

A woman with a rare skin disease said she was humiliated when she was asked to disembark a Southwest Airlines plane.

Brianna Solari boarded the plane at Hollywood Burbank Airport on August 1 after undergoing surgery for her illness. She was seated when a crew member approached her and said there were fears she had a contagious disease and mentioned chickenpox, she told Los Angeles-based television station KTLA.

“I’m aware of what I look like with all these scabs,” said Solari, a nurse from Sacramento.

“I know it’s uncomfortable. I suffer from a genetic disease and have had surgery to improve my appearance and self-esteem.”

Article content

Solari suffers from a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to form throughout the body, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“Essentially, I’m missing a protein that acts as a tumor suppressor and causes tumors to grow under and on the skin along the nerves,” she said.

Solari took special precautions on her flight back after surgery, wearing a face mask and headband, but when she was escorted back to the gate, she had to explain her condition.

She told Southwest Airlines staff about the genetic disease and the recent surgery. She said they refused to let her see her discharge papers from the hospital and said she would have to be examined by EMS at the airport before she could get back on the plane.

Eventually, she contacted her own doctor, who emailed her a medical clearance. After staff read the email on Solari’s phone, she was allowed to travel. But the first flight had already left. It was five hours before she could take another flight.

Solari described the incident as embarrassing and humiliating.

Southwest Airlines said in a statement to KTLA that it was “disheartened” to learn of Solari’s experience and sincerely apologized for the inconvenience.

Article content

“Although our team ultimately obtained travel approval for the customer, we were unable to do so in time for departure. We rebooked her on a later flight, offered her a travel voucher for a future flight and a meal voucher, and are contacting her directly to discuss the situation,” the statement said.

Solari, however, said she will no longer fly with Southwest Airlines. She said travelers should be believed when they say they have had surgery and should not have to talk about it with employees who are not medical professionals.

“What they did is absolutely disgraceful. You don’t treat anyone like that,” she said.

Visit our website for the latest breaking news, exclusive news briefs, long reads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and subscribe to our newsletters here.

Share this article on your social network