MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Amanda Pendarvis: American Airlines deplanes mother, asthmatic toddler over masks

She detailed her ordeal on her Instagram stories - a series of videos, which has since been shared on other social media platforms

DALLAS, TEXAS: American Airlines allegedly removed a mother and her asthmatic toddler from a flight after the child was unable to keep his mask on. Amanda Pendarvis claimed they were removed from the flight and questioned by three police officers on Sunday, September 13. She detailed her ordeal on her Instagram stories - a series of videos, which has since been shared on other social media platforms. 

Pendarvis said that she was traveling with her two-year-old son Waylon and her mother on AA Flight 1284 from Dallas to Colorado Springs for a family holiday when a flight attendant noticed Waylon was struggling to wear his face mask. Waylon was reportedly having an attack and could not maintain the mask on his face properly as a result. Pendarvis described it on Instagram as the “most humiliating/traumatizing experience,” because of the actions of the flight attendant, who she said was someone called Carl and described as “truly evil [and] power tripping.”

READ MORE

Who is Maxwell Berry? Ohio man groped female staff on Frontier Airlines flight, arrested

TikToker 'slut shamed' for crop top on Alaska Airlines flight, escorted off plane

She wrote in one Instagram Story, “I was not refusing a mask. Nor did i even say I wouldn't try to keep a mask on my son. We were escorted off the plane as I was holding a mask over his little face. I genuinely don’t have words.” Throughout the videos in the Stories, Waylon could be heard coughing, crying, and struggling to breathe.

In another Story, she wrote of the flight attendant, “He got on the intercom to say to the entire plane ‘I’m sorry for the delay but we are dealing with a non-compliant traveler’.” She added in another one, “Thank you for your bravery, Carl, on Flight AA 1284… Really took a stance and got this monster off the plane.”

Pendarvis claimed that despite allegedly showing the American Airlines attendant his negative COVID test, and informing him that he has asthma, the flight attendant “did not care” that Waylon was “literally hyperventilating.” As a result, the plane was turned around and the family was escorted off by police officers. She also said that the majority of passengers did not speak up about what was happening.

She said, “There was one man behind us who was standing up to [the flight attendant] telling him how [insane and irrational] he was being,” adding that several other passengers mouthed “I am sorry.”

Online, her story gained traction, with many people expressing their anger and incredulity at American Airlines. The official account for the Libertarian Party of Kentucky tweeted, “If you think 2 year olds should be kicked off airplanes for any reason then we don't want to share a country with you. If this doesn't incite rage in you, we are not sure what will.”

One person tweeted, “STOP FLYING. STOP GIVING THESE MANIACS YOUR MONEY. Also, we need to mass call American Airlines tomorrow and demand an explanation and for this Carl to be fired. We probably need like, a name or a flight number or something if we're actually going to do anything about this.” Another person  said, “Could you imagine sitting next to this family and not defend them? Could look at that little boy and say nothing? I can’t I can’t I can’t.”

In a statement to the National File, American Airlines confirmed that on Monday, flight AA 1284 from Dallas Forth Worth returned to the gate to deplane the family. “Initial reports indicate the party refused to comply with crew member instructions to remain seated and wear a face mask securely over their nose and mouth,” the statement said. “After agreeing to adhere to federal face-covering requirements, all individuals were rebooked for travel on the next flight to Colorado Springs (COS).”

The statement, the National File noted, failed to mention any reports regarding the asthma attack, but did include American Airlines’s policy regarding the wearing of face masks, which notes that they require “all individuals two and older to wear a face-covering at all times while indoors at the airport and onboard.”