American Airlines apologizes after doctor was allegedly told to 'cover up' outfit with a blanket
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A doctor from Texas is claiming an American Airlines flight attendant made her cover herself up before she was allowed to fly.
Tisha Rowe, who practices family medicine in Houston, had already boarded her flight in Kingston, Jamaica, with her 8-year-old son Chase. But before the plane was scheduled to take off for Miami, a flight attendant pulled her aside and asked her to deplane “for a talk,” Rowe recounted on Twitter.
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Once off the aircraft, Rowe says the flight attendant asked her if she had a jacket to cover up the sleeveless romper she wore to the airport. When she said she didn’t, the American Airlines attendant told her she would only be readmitted on one condition, Rowe claims.
“When defending my outfit I was threatened with not getting back on the flight unless I walked down the aisle wrapped in a blanket,” she wrote on Twitter.
Rowe complied, though she was “humiliated,” she told Buzzfeed News.
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“I felt powerless,” she told the outlet. “There was nothing I could do in that moment other than give up my money and my seat to defend my position that I was completely appropriate.”
Once back in the States, Rowe shared the story on social media, and added that she believed race played a factor in the attendant’s decision to single her out.
“When defending my outfit I was threatened with not getting back on the flight unless I walked down the aisle wrapped in a blanket."
“We are policed for being black,” she wrote on Facebook, per a screengrab shared by Buzzfeed News. ”Our bodies are over sexualized as women and we must adjust to make everyone around us comfortable. I’ve seen white women with much shorter shorts board a plane without a blink of an eye.”
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Rowe echoed claims of discrimination on Twitter.
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Rowe’s posts have subsequently received plenty of support on social media, with some Twitter users calling the situation “utter bs” and “blatant discrimination.”
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“If American Airlines wanted passengers from Jamaica to Florida in June to wear snowsuits, that’s something they ought to put in their contract,” Rowe’s lawyer, Geoffrey Berg, added Buzzfeed News.
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In a statement obtained by Fox News, American Airlines said it had reached out to apologize.
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“We were concerned about Dr. Rowe’s comments, and reached out to her and our team at the Kingston airport to gather more information about what occurred,” said American Airlines spokesperson Shannon Gilson. “We apologize to Dr. Rowe and her son for their experience, and have fully refunded their travel. We are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds and are committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us.”
Rowe, meanwhile, has said she was thankful for the “outpouring of love” she’s received since sharing the story.
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“Chase is too young to appreciate what is happening but on behalf of our tiny family the outpouring of love, the support, the demand for ACCOUNTABILITY is greatly appreciated,” she wrote. “Thank You.”