A 13-year-old boy with Tourette’s syndrome was prevented from boarding a British Airways flight after repeatedly shouting the word “bomb”.
Mason Entwistle and his parents Martyn and Gemma, who live in Harwich, Essex, were turned away at the aircraft’s door by staff at Gatwick Airport who deemed the teenager a “threat”.
Armed police officers then escorted the family back through the terminal.
The incident meant the family lost two days of their planned Spanish holiday to Alicante and had to arrange alternative travel with a different airline.
Martyn, 39, has accused BA of discriminating against his son, describing the boy as “distraught” following the ordeal.
“He was literally on the floor crying apologising to everyone,” the father told The Sun.
The group had been travelling with friends, having forked out on £4,000 worth of tickets for 10 passengers in total.
Prior to their Saturday departure, the family contacted British Airways to tell staff about Mason’s condition.
Martyn, 39, has accused British Airways of discriminating against his son
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GETTY
Airport staff provided assistance and the family passed through security without incident, even though Mason had shouted “bomb” several times during the process.
Gemma, 36, who runs a bakery, had brought documents confirming her son’s diagnosis, and Mason was wearing a lanyard indicating his disability.
Problems arose when the family reached the jet bridge connecting the terminal to the aircraft.
The airline’s duty airport manager intervened and pulled them aside before they could board.
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Problems arose when the family reached the jet bridge connecting the Gatwick Airport terminal to the aircraft
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PAVideo footage captured by Martyn shows him questioning whether his son was being refused entry due to his Tourette’s syndrome.
The duty manager responded: “We are not refusing him because he’s got a disability. We are refusing him because there’s been a threat made that he has a bomb in his bag.”
She added: “Sir, today you’ve been refused travel only based off of security and the safety and welfare of other customers, yourselves, and our cabin crew because of the threats made on multiple occasions up at the gate and down at the aircraft.
“We have to take it incredibly seriously.”
The incident meant the family lost two days of their planned Spanish holiday to Alicante
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GETTYThe couple’s 16-year-old daughter Layla was allowed to continue on the flight alongside the family’s friends.
However, Mason, his parents, and their one-year-old daughter Ariella were taken back to the British Airways assistance desk under police escort.
The family spent the night at an airport hotel before catching a Vueling flight the following day.
Martyn described the experience as “horrendous”, adding that both his wife and daughter were in tears.
“My wife and son just wanted to go home. The only reason I rebooked the flights is because I want to teach him that he can do whatever he wants,” he explained.
“I don’t want him thinking ‘I can never go on holiday’. It’s about principle. I want to take him on holiday, he deserves to go on holiday.”
British Airways is believed to have offered to reimburse the family for their original tickets.
But the airline maintains that Mason’s condition was not the reason for denying boarding.
A spokeswoman stated: “This was an extremely difficult, complex and distressing situation.
“Due to a number of contributing factors, the decision was made not to allow the group to travel on the flight.”