A 13-year-old boy with Tourette syndrome was prevented from boarding a British Airways flight at Gatwick Airport in England after shouting the word “bomb” because of one of his involuntary tics. The situation occurred while he was boarding a plane bound for Alicante, Spain, with his family.
According to his father, the airline had already been informed about the minor’s condition and they had even submitted medical documents and a disability ID before the trip. Even so, security staff decided to prevent him from boarding the plane, and armed police escorted the family back to the terminal.
The teenager ended up crying and apologizing after the incident, while the family lost part of their vacation and had to buy new tickets with another airline. British Airways said the decision was made for safety reasons and not because of the minor’s disability.