Burbank-Hollywood Airport Incident: Southwest Airlines Kicks Off Nurse with Visible Scarring from Flight Due to Medical Condition

In a distressing turn of events, a nurse has accused Southwest Airlines of removing her from a flight because of non-cancerous tumors on her face and body. Briana Solari, who has a condition called neurofibromatosis (NF), was en route from Burbank-Hollywood Airport in Los Angeles to her home in Sacramento.

After undergoing surgery to manage these tumors, she was left with noticeable scarring, which she says led to her being kicked off the flight.

After boarding her flight on Thursday evening, Solari was approached by a flight attendant who asked her to return to the gate. At the gate, she was questioned about her medical condition.

“I told them I had surgery, but they were more concerned than they needed to be,” Solari recounted. The attendant then contacted a Southwest-contracted doctor who had never seen Solari before.

Despite Solari’s attempts to explain her situation, she was not allowed to communicate with the doctor directly.

Emotional Impact

The situation left Solari deeply upset and missing her flight.

“It was humiliating, embarrassing, and just made everything worse,” she said. Solari, who has already faced unkind remarks due to her visible tumors, felt singled out and judged based on her appearance, which she finds extremely challenging to deal with.

“It’s tough enough living with this condition, and having to deal with people’s reactions makes it even harder,” she added.

Resolution and Fallout

Eventually, Solari managed to fly home on a later Southwest flight after securing a letter from her surgeon confirming that her condition was not contagious.

Southwest Airlines offered her a $500 flight voucher and a $45 meal voucher, but Solari was not satisfied.

“I don’t think I’ll ever fly with them again,” she declared. She feels that the situation was mishandled and is considering legal action, citing violations of her medical privacy and discrimination.

Southwest Airlines’ Response

A Southwest spokesperson responded to the incident, expressing regret over Solari’s experience. “We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused,” the spokesperson said.

“Although we eventually cleared her to travel, we couldn’t get the approval in time for her original flight.” The airline has since rebooked her on a later flight, provided compensation, and is following up directly to discuss the matter further.

TDPel Media

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedIn