A man has accused SkyWest Airlines of disability discrimination after crew members allegedly refused to allow his autistic brother to sit next to him on a flight from Detroit to Houston. Ayo Isola, 23, claims a flight attendant denied the request for his 21-year-old brother Tayo, who is almost completely non-verbal and suffers from OCD and sensory overload.
According to Isola, another passenger agreed to switch seats, but the flight attendant objected and insisted Tayo return to his original seat. Despite explaining his brother's special needs, the attendant continued to object, delaying the flight. A supervisor eventually allowed the seat change, but the attendant later complained to the pilot that the family was a 'safety hazard'.
The pilot then announced that all 75 passengers had to deplane. Airport management and security told the pilot there was no safety issue, but the pilot and crew refused to fly and left the terminal. Passengers waited three hours for a new crew to operate the flight.
Isola, a behavioral therapist, detailed the incident in a viral Facebook post, stating he filed a formal complaint 'to highlight the ignorance, bigotry, and blatant discrimination'. He wrote: 'It is not right to treat people with special needs as if they are unworthy of your time or effort.'
SkyWest Flight 3596, operating as a Delta connection, departed nearly three hours late. Delta apologised for the inconvenience and said it was reviewing the incident. SkyWest also said it was investigating the claims.
