Tourette’s syndrome (TS) sufferer Mason Entwistle (13) was prevented from boarding a British Airways (BA) flight from London Gatwick (LGW) to Alicante (ALC), Spain, on May 23, for shouting the word “bomb” multiple times. TS is a genetically determined neurological condition which affects one school child in every 100, an estimated total of over 300,000 children and adults in the UK. It is more prevalent amongst boys, and like many others, Mason presents with vocal tics, involuntary sounds and movements.
Complex and distressing situation
Mason’s parents, Gemma and Martyn Entwistle, carried their son’s diagnosis letter with them, and Mason was wearing his sunflower disability lanyard at LGW airport. The family said three armed officers and two managers escorted the teenager and his family from the skybridge before boarding, and said he was a “bomb threat”. The family also claim he was given no support and told he was “banned from the airline for life.” A BA spokesperson said this was not about discrimination but:
“An extremely difficult, complex and distressing situation. Due to a number of contributing factors, the decision was made not to allow the group to travel on the flight.”
The family were able to rebook and resume travelling to their holiday the next day with Vueling, BA’s partner airline. The pilot on the Vueling flight explained the situation to all of the passengers in order to prevent further misunderstanding. The family has since been offered a refund for their BA flights and says they plan to work with the charity Tourette’s Action for support and to raise more awareness of Mason’s condition.
Discrimination and safety
The incident has reignited debates around aircraft safety rules versus disability rights. BA is likely to face some further criticism, as in 2022, it was the first airline to officially recognise the sunflower lanyard scheme, as worn by Mason.
In this same year, India’s aviation watchdog, the DGCA, amended its airline regulations to give disabled passengers more rights, following a similar incident. A distressed, disabled teenager was refused boarding onto an internal IndiGo flight at Ranchi Airport (IXR). The airline was subsequently fined, and new rules now prevent airlines from denying passengers boarding for health reasons without first consulting a doctor.
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