13-Year-Old with Tourette's Denied Flight Boarding After Being Labelled 'Bomb Threat'
The airline said it refused boarding because of safety risks after the boy shouted "bomb," and the family later paid £2,400 for replacement flights.
- On Saturday, 13-year-old Mason Entwistle was escorted off a British Airways flight at London Gatwick Airport after involuntarily shouting 'bomb' due to his Tourette syndrome, with armed police removing him, his parents Martyn and Gemma, and one-year-old sister Ariella from the plane.
- Mason's vocal tics developed only last year; though his family warned British Airways staff beforehand and he carried a diagnosis letter and sunflower lanyard, he shouted the word multiple times as they reached the gate.
- Three armed officers, a manager, and deputy manager declared Mason a threat after 14 minutes on the sky bridge; he received no assistance while becoming distraught and asking 'what's the point of my life?' during removal.
- The family spent £4,000 on original flights for 10 people but paid an additional £2,400 for new flights and hotel accommodation, rebooking with Vueling on Sunday, while Martyn was told he was banned from British Airways for life.
- British Airways cited 'multiple contributing factors' for its decision, though Vueling staff proved understanding about Mason's condition with the pilot briefing passengers; Martyn questioned why sister companies handle the same disability differently, stating 'Having Tourette's shouldn't stop him from doing anything he wants to.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Boy, 13, with Tourette's blocked from BA flight for shouting 'bomb'
The family were turned away at the gate at Gatwick Airport (Picture: Shutterstock / Yau Ming Low) A 13-year-old boy with Tourette syndrome was banned from boarding a plane and removed from Gatwick Airport by armed police after he shouted ‘bomb’. British Airways (BA) refused to let Mason and his family board an aircraft bound for Alicante, Spain, at the gate over safety risks. Dad Martyn, 39, said he had been reduced to tears by the ‘horrendous’ …
Boy with Tourette's refused flight after yelling 'bomb' at airport gate, parents plead with British Airways to let him on plane
Yelling that you have a bomb as you’re about to board a flight is probably the quickest and most efficient way to be blocked from boarding. After all, whether you have a bomb on you or not, no airline wants to deal with the potential panic that could erupt during the flight if you begin screaming that you’re about to blow up the plane mid-air. But what if your screaming “bomb” was the result of a documented disability? Well, this is the sticky e…
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