Family Kicked Off Flight After Daughter With Autism Deemed 'Disruptive'

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119. I have much empathy and sympathy.....

I don't like sensationalism and this has all the earmarks of that.

As I said I'm very sympathetic to someone that deals with these issues. I know how easy it can be to forget the little things. It doesn't sound like this was a "little thing" for her daughter, and as such proper arrangements should have been made.

I'm very sympathetic to someone making arrangements with a company and that company then proceeding to royally screw up those arrangements or completely ignore them. And again, if it turns out that is the case then I am all in on defending this woman. But she's given now indication that is the case, and I see no reason why she would leave that out.

I'm not sympathetic to someone who makes threats as to what their kid will do if she doesn't get what she needs, and then goes around screaming that it was "fear of autism" that got them kicked off a plane. If there was nothing for anyone to be afraid of or worried about then she should have handled it with that degree of severity and not the way she did by making threats.

I'm not sympathetic to someone who makes a living speaking and writing about issues of poverty and class, who has likely flown countless times, and who coincidentally makes an issue out of having booked an economy class seat but then not being given the accommodations of first class. This is not some poor, naive, young single mom who has never travelled before or never travelled with her autistic child and could be forgiven for not knowing all that was involved in every level of this situation and what the proper protocol is.

All issues involved here (special needs children, class, corporate awareness of issues, etc.) are ones that I'm deeply involved in and care about. But I also don't just reflexively support things because the story being told tugs at my heart strings, especially when there are as many things in the story that don't pass the smell test.