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Women kicked off plane for telling airline about allergy
A student on her first-ever international flight alone was humiliated and kicked off the plane after telling the crew she had an allergy to nuts.
Marissa Williamson told the Mirror she hysterically broke down in tears as she watched her flight home from Kuala Lumpur pull away from the gate and leave without her.
The 21-year-old who is a business major at Georgia Highlands College in the US, had travelled to Malaysia to visit family with her mother AikWah Leow.
But as Marissa boarded her return flight with Turkish Airlines alone so she could get back to her studies she was soon terrified she wouldn't make it home.
She said: "I was actually extremely proud of myself as I got on the plane. I had taken many flights but this was my first international by myself. I had been to the flight desk before I checked in and informed them about my allergy so they could let the crew know, we had done this on the way out too."
Marissa was checked in and sat in her seat in row 16 when the head flight attendant and airline manager approached her to talk about her condition.
She told them she was unable to eat tree nuts as she was allergic and asked them to make others aware by via an announcement on board, as the same airline had done on the two connecting flights to Malaysia.
She said: "They said that they wouldn't make an announcement, I was extremely embarrassed, I asked them to just inform those around me, but they refused to do that too and went off."
"I started getting really nervous, they said that they were serving nuts in business class and the smell would travel, but I said this was fine as I wouldn't be eating them and would wear two masks to prevent any smells."
"They came back and told me I couldn't fly.
They asked me to leave and started opening the locker where my bag was."
"I started to internally freak out, I didn't scream, I wasn't belligerent but I did speak to them sternly, but they refused to discuss it with me and said they would talk to me when I was off the plane."
Marissa was left sobbing in the tunnel as the flight doors closed and the plane pulled away from the gate leaving her stranded.
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She said: "I began to cry and kept pleading and begging for someone to listen and just take my phone to speak to my mother."
"Then suddenly, all the staff stopped acknowledging my existence. They turned their backs to me, I have never felt and been so physically disregarded in my life."
"Airport staff came and told me that I had to leave."
Marissa's mother AikWah added: "As a mom, I'm incensed, infuriated and just downright sad that one courtesy request resulted in the removal of my daughter from a flight back to the US.
"She didn't ask for a menu change or for the flight attendants to stop serving nuts, just make an announcement."
Marissa managed to secure a flight home on Tuesday, five days after her planned one.
She has decided to not inform her new airline of her allergy, but intended on carrying her Epipens and allergy medication with her.
Marissa added: "I've had this allergy all of my life, I'm a safe traveller and I was bullied off that flight."
"I'm scared to tell anyone that I have an allergy. I don't think I'll travel internationally again."