Passenger With Down Syndrome Booted From Flight After Vomiting, Family Says

A woman claimed her family was asked to leave a flight during Easter weekend because her brother, who has Down Syndrome, vomited before the plane took off.

The special needs teen and his family boarded Alaska Airlines flight 779 in St. Louis, Missouri, en route to Seattle on Monday when a flight attendant asked them all to exit the plane, Meaghan Hess, the teen’s sister, who is a third-year law student and a staffer for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, told NBC News.

"After boarding the flight, Patrick threw up a little and the airline workers kicked my family off the flight," Hess said.

Hess, who was not with her family at the time, said the airline scheduled another flight for the family the next morning, however, they did not cover expenses.

In a statement to International Business Times via email Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Ann Johnson said that it is standard practice to tend to sick customers on the ground rather than in flight.

"We apologize that Patrick and his family had a difficult experience traveling with us. When a guest is actively ill prior to a flight, it is safer for them to be treated on the ground than in the air, where medical assistance is limited," Johnson told IBT.

"In this case, our guest's symptoms did not improve and we were concerned for his wellbeing. We understand that this change put the family in a difficult situation and have reached out to them. We strive to be our best for every guest, every time."

The family was stranded for almost eleven hours, Hess told NBC news. She claims a representative told her father that they should have been charged for the 6 a.m. flight, but that the airlines was extending its courtesy.

The airline upgraded the group to first class for their trip home to Washington state. During the trip, flight attendants handed the family "a black garbage bag" for the teen, Hess said.

The airline said it was investigating the matter and reached out to the family for clarity. An Alaska Airlines official apologized to Hess via a private Twitter message, according to NBC.

"I'm truly sorry for your family's experience. Safety of all passengers is our number one priority. I am glad to see that we re-booked them at no fee in the morning. I apologize that we cannot provide hotels in these situations," the message read.

Hess, dissatisfied with the response, labeled the incident "disability discrimination."

"I can't help but think if a non-disabled child that threw up, would the airline have kicked that family off the flight?" she said.