A MUM claims she was told she couldn’t sit in premium economy on a nine-hour TUI flight because her five-year-old son has autism.
Amanda Brown forked out an extra £4,410 for speedy boarding and additional leg-room only to be asked to move for being “difficult”.
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The 31-year-old was travelling from Gatwick to Jamaica with 17 friends and family for her honeymoon on May 30.
Her parents decided to upgrade the group to premium economy for £245 per person to make life easier for five-year-old Billy, who has nonverbal autism and a blue badge.
But upon boarding, Amanda questioned cabin crew over where she could change the youngster as the nearest toilet was too small, and she says she was told she should move to the cheaper seats.
The carer, from Croydon, south London, said: “It’s outrageous.
“We paid loads extra for the premium seats but were made to feel like we didn’t belong.
“There were loads of comments made about the inconvenience of my son being in there – and he was the best behaved kid on the entire plane. I’m fuming.
“I was so upset and in tears. We were being discriminated against.
“They made us feel like cr*p and singled us out for having a disabled child.”
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Amanda and her group refused to budge from their seats – which were wider, had a steeper recline, kids’ TV channels, food and drink, lounge access and came with priority boarding – but claimed they were treated differently to other passengers for the rest of the flight.
She added that little Billy was no trouble at all, sitting quietly on his iPad for the full nine hours.
“He was so good,” she said.
“I’m putting in a complaint. The way we were treated is enough to make me boycott TUI for good.”
The holiday giant said it is taking the allegations “very seriously”.
I was so upset and in tears. We were being discriminated against.
Amanda Brown
Amanda said the row erupted over her queries about the toilets, but things worsened when they landed in Montego Bay.
Billy’s “special needs pram” was nowhere to be seen, despite being promised it would be waiting at the plane doors, she says.
“I had no choice but to keep walking and my son started having a severe meltdown and biting and scratching my arms,” Amanda said.
“We then had a long wait at passport control. Billy worked himself up so much he was nearly sick.
“After another 30 minutes, the buggy was finally there and I put Billy in and he instantly felt better.”
Amanda said her group filed a complaint over the way they were treated but were disappointed by the lack of quick response.
TUI claims it never received this, but the family eventually received an email thanking them for raising the issues and apologising for the “level of service” they received.
A spokesperson for TUI said: “We take allegations of this nature very seriously.
“We would encourage the customer to contact us directly so we can investigate this further.”
They added that during the flight, crew members received complaints from other passengers about the level of noise from some children in premium economy, and that parents were changing kids’ nappies on the seats.
What is nonverbal autism?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an incurable, lifelong developmental condition that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others.
It affects around one in 100 people in the UK and is three to four times more common in boys than in girls.
Many people with ASD find it hard to understand other people’s feelings and emotions, and they may have difficulty holding conversations.
When they are young, their language development may take longer and they can struggle to use facial expressions, using gestures to communicate instead.
They may also find it hard to connect with other people and to hold eye contact with unfamiliar individuals.
Many children with ASD like to follow a routine, and changes to this can cause distress.
High functioning autism is an informal term some people use to describe those on the autism spectrum disorder.
Nonverbal, or non-speaking, autism is a subset of autism where the person does not learn how to speak, and sometimes not point or gesture.
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