‘It was humiliating’: California woman said she was removed from Southwest flight over medical condition

A California woman said she was humiliated after trying to board a flight home from Los Angeles but was prevented from doing so due to a rare skin condition.

Brianna Solari, a nurse from Sacramento, had flown to L.A. to undergo a specialized surgery to address tumors caused by a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis.

The condition causes non-cancerous tumors to grow all over the skin and nervous system.

“I’m aware of how I look with all of these scabs on me,” Solari said of her appearance. “I know it’s unpleasant. I suffer from a genetic illness and I got surgery to improve my appearance and self-esteem.”

On her return flight back home on Aug. 1, Solari headed to the Hollywood Burbank Airport and made sure to cover up with a facemask and headband. She had a ticket for a Southwest Airlines flight.

As Solari boarded the plane and sat down, she was suddenly approached by an airline crewmember who asked her to leave.

“He said there were some concerns about whether or not I had any kind of communicable disease,” Solari said. “He mentioned chickenpox specifically.”

She was taken back to the boarding gate where she explained about her rare medical condition.

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

Solari told airline employees she had just received surgery and her condition was not contagious. She offered to show the discharge paperwork from the hospital. However, Solari said she was denied.

“He said, No, we can’t see that,’ and then he got on the telephone with somebody I don’t know,” she recalled.

She was told she wouldn’t be allowed to reboard until she was examined by emergency medical services at the airport.

“They were on the phone with the physician who oversees EMS services that contract with the airport,” Solari said. When she asked to speak with that doctor, she was denied.

Solari called her own doctor’s office and asked them to email a letter of medical clearance which she eventually received.

“I had to give my phone to the employees and they read the [clearance] letter to the [airport] physician,” she recalled. “Then they said, ‘Oh well, okay, she can go.’”

After the frustrating ordeal, Solari said she waited five hours to be placed on another flight.

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

According to federal regulations, passengers with a medical condition cannot be denied air travel unless their condition can be determined to pose a direct threat.

Southwest Airlines released a statement on the incident saying:

“We are disheartened to learn of the Customer’s experience flying with us and extend our 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.”

Solari hopes her story will serve as a learning lesson for better treatment of passengers with medical conditions.

Following the humiliating ordeal, she said she would never fly with Southwest Airlines again.

“Believe it when people say, ‘I had surgery,’” Solari said. “I shouldn’t have to discuss this with airline employees who are not medical professionals.”