Jae’lynn, a plus-size influencer, accused an airport employee of discrimination after she was allegedly forced out of her wheelchair.
The incident reportedly happened when she was boarding a plane in Seattle.
In a TikTok post, she showed a video of herself getting on an airplane.
According to Jae’lynn, she has always requested assistance in using a wheelchair due to her physical condition.
When she was boarding the plane, an airport employee reportedly told her that she wouldn’t help the other passengers because she was too big.
She then claimed that the employee started walking away with her wheelchair after making comments about her size.
Even though she asked the employee to help her, she continued walking away with her chair.
Jae’lynn claimed that she had to walk up a long jet bridge to reach her wheelchair, and her lips turned white as her oxygen levels dropped.
The incident occurred during her first flight without having access to oxygen.
She claims that the employee merely assumed that she could walk and didn’t care about her needs. She also stated that the other attendants helped the passengers of the plane ascend the jet bridge, but her needs were ignored. The incident was one of the reasons why Jae’lynn pushed for employee sensitivity training last year.
Over 39,000 individuals signed Jae’lynn’s petition, which highlighted her experience as a plus-size influencer and how she and her fiancé, Ard, were discriminated against while traveling. The petition urges the FAA to require all airlines to implement a comprehensive policy that aims to accommodate customers of all sizes.
The petition also demands that airlines provide additional seats, offer refunds for unused ones, and provide clear communication about their policies and priority boarding. It also calls for the inclusion of lavatories that are wheelchair-accessible and mandatory training for employees on respectful behavior.