Nurse says she was ‘humiliated’ after being removed from flight due to skin condition

A woman with a rare skin condition says she was humiliated after she was asked to get off of a Southwest Airlines flight.

Brianna Solari was boarding the plane at the Hollywood Burbank Airport on Aug. 1 after receiving surgery for her condition. She was sitting down when a crewmember approached her and said there were concerns that she had a communicable disease, and mentioned chicken pox, she told Los Angeles-based television network KTLA.

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

“I know it’s unpleasant. I suffer from a genetic illness and I got surgery to improve my appearance and self-esteem.”

Solari has a genetic disease called neurofibromatosis, which leads to tumours forming throughout the body, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“Essentially, I lack a protein which is a tumour suppressor and that causes tumours to grow under and on the skin, along nerves,” she said.

Solari took extra precautions on her return flight after surgery, wearing a face mask and a headband. But she ended up having to explain her condition when she was brought back to the boarding gate.

She told Southwest Airlines staff about the genetic disease and the recent surgery. She said they declined to look at her discharge papers from the hospital and they said she would have to be examined by emergency medical services at the airport before going back on the plane.

Eventually, she contacted her own doctor who emailed her a letter of medical clearance. After staff members read the email on Solari’s phone, she was cleared to travel. But the initial flight had already taken off. It was five hours before she got on another flight.

Solari called the incident embarrassing and humiliating.

In a statement to KTLA, Southwest Airlines said they were “disheartened” to learn about Solari’s experience and they extended their deepest apologies for the inconvenience.

“Even though our Team ultimately received clearance for the Customer to travel, we weren’t able to do so in time for the flight’s departure. We rebooked her on a later flight, offered a travel voucher for a future flight along with a meal voucher, and we’re following up with her directly to discuss the situation,” the statement said.

However, Solari said she would not be flying on Southwest Airlines again. She said travellers should be believed if they say they’ve had surgery and shouldn’t have to discuss it with employees who are not medical professionals.

“It’s absolutely shameful what they did. This is no way to treat somebody,” she said.

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