A mother says that United Airlines tried to make her take her disabled toddler off of his life-saving medical devices, falsely claiming he couldn’t fly with them.
Here’s what went down and what the mom plans to do about it.
In a viral video with nearly a million views, mom Melissa “Missy” Sotomayor (@missysoto0) shared a recent experience she and her 21-month-old son purportedly had on a United Airlines flight.
In the video, Sotomayor explains that her son is medically complex, depends on a trach and ventilator, and has vision and hearing problems. Before she started the trip from New Jersey to Tampa, Florida, Sotomayor says she ensured all the documentation she needed for him was in order. She also says she worked with United’s accessibility team to figure out the best seating option.
Sotomayor had no problems getting to Tampa. The flight home was a completely different story. Before takeoff, she claims a male flight attendant told her she needed to take her son off of the ventilator and portable oxygen concentrator.
“I explained to him that I could not take my son off of those pieces of equipment because they are keeping him alive,” Sotomayor explains.
The flight attendant asked for documentation, so Sotomayor says she gave him the medical clearance and United Airlines forms for the oxygen concentrator, showed that she had extra backup batteries for the flight, and gave documentation of all her son’s medical information.
United Airline’s website states this equipment is fine to take on a plane as long as it’s Federal Aviation Administration approved.
From bad to worse
She says the male attendant went to the front of the plane. Then a female flight atttendant approached them. She reportedly told Sotomayor the same thing about taking her son off the medical devices and said that their seats may need to be moved because Sotomayor was “unwilling to comply.”
“I am not refusing to comply. These are for his safety,” Sotomayor says she replied.
Sotomayor alleges that a flight attendant told her that she had to comply and said her son would be fine without the equipment until they reached a high enough altitude.
It can take up to 20 minutes to get to cruising altitude. A toddler can only hold their breath for a minute or less.
Sotomayor claims that another passenger then spoke up and said they were being mistreated.
According to Sotomayor, then the pilot made the same demand about her son’s medical devices. She says he also warned that she was “being difficult” and claimed “our son’s medical equipment is a danger to other passengers and my son.”
At that point, Sotomayor says she spoken with and given documentation to four different members of the crew. She says a passenger told the captain that they were harassing her.
“When I told [a crewmember] what they were doing was against ADA, she says to me, ‘I’m sorry you feel that way,’” Sotomayor recounts.
Did they ever make it in the air?
Sotomayor says United Airlines eventually told the captain that her son does have the right to fly and his equipment was safe to have on the flight. By the time they took off, they’d been taxiing for over an hour, she says.
The captain purportedly announced the plane was cleared for take-off. None of the crew apologized to Sotomayor, however, she says.
“I was really upset by the way we were humiliated in front of others and the way we were talked to,” Sotomayor explains in the TikTok.
“The captain talked to me as if I was purposefully endangering my son.”
Sotomayor later called corporate. She claims they were not helpful or empathetic.
“If you have a special needs loved one, please don’t fly United. Our experience was very demeaning, degrading, and I was so humiliated,” Sotomayor warns.
“…The way we were treated is not okay, and nobody else deserves to be treated that way.”
Sotomayor has a GoFundMe to help raise funds to secure an attorney.
What is the mom going to do next?
In a follow-up, Sotomayor shares that she filed a report with the Department of Transportation. She says they said it might be months before she gets a response due to a backlog.
Sotomayor also has been trying to find a lawyer to take the case.
“I think at this point my best bet is to reach out to the news station and hope a lawyer will pick up the case,” she said in a comment.
In her most recent video, Sotomayor said United Airlines corporate did contact her. She plans to post another update.
Commenters react
“I am a flight medic, on my last vacation I helped a mother having same issues on American. First thing I did I asked very loudly, if there was a lawyer on board. I instantly had 3. After that the crew was so much more cooperative,” a top comment read.
“THEY TOLD YOU TO TAKE HIM OFF THE VENT?! Oh, heck no. Lawyer up!!” a person said.
“So we boycott united airlines? Seems like the only way we can get a point across these days is stop paying these people,” another added.
@missysoto0 @United Airlines Do better and be better! You tried to deny my child the right to fly HOME stating his vent and portable oxygen concentrator are a danger to my son and other passengers?! The captain of flight number UA1349 tried saying my son shouldn’t be allowed to fly because of his special needs. 4 flight crews told me I needed to disconnect his vent and oxygen until we were up in the air & kept saying our seats would be moved because I was unwilling to comply?! I explained multiple times that these pieces of equipment are keeping my son alive and to be told “He’ll be ok until we’re up in the air” is ignorant and unacceptable!!! If you have a loved one with special needs, I do NOT recommend flying United!!! This goes against ADA and corporate is unwilling to do anything to right the situation. An apology was all I wanted!!!#NoahScottStrong #TeamSpicySweetPotato #babiesoftiktok #fyp #medicalmomsoftiktok #medicallycomplex #preemiestrong #warriors #tracheostomy #trach #gtubebaby #gtube #trachbabies #dobetterbebetter #americanswithdisabilitiesact #unitedairlines ♬ original sound – Missy Soto
The Daily Dot reached out to Sotomayor via GoFundMe and TikTok direct message and to United Airlines via email.
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