A woman accused Frontier Airlines of discrimination in a viral video, claiming she was kicked off a plane because she’s deaf.
The airline has since disputed her allegations, accusing her of lying about her hearing disability.
Ashley, who goes by legallyswiftie13 on TikTok, posted her video over the weekend with overlay text that read, “Frontier Airlines kicked me off a flight because I’m a deaf person who couldn’t hear the flight attendant.”
Highlights
- A passenger accused Frontier Airlines of discrimination, claiming she was removed from a flight because she couldn’t hear crew members.
- The airline said no disability was noted on her reservation and staff reported she communicated effectively with them.
- The Air Carrier Access Act requires airlines to accommodate disabled passengers and provide written explanations for exclusion.
Image credits: legallyswiftie13/TikTok
The clip shows Ashley being comforted by another woman behind the camera and reassured that she did “nothing wrong whatsoever.”
A flight attendant can also be seen speaking to the captain at the front of the plane.
At one point, a crew member informs Ashley that she has to exit the plane, though the reason is not clear from the video.
Image credits: legallyswiftie13/TikTok
“Now I’m gonna go down the aisle and people are going to think I did something bad,” Ashley says, crying.
She also calls the situation “embarrassing” and reassures a crew member that she won’t resist the airline’s decision.
“I’m crying because I’m embarrassed. But I’m willing to go.”
Image credits: legallyswiftie13/TikTok
The TikTok also featured a text overlay that read, “What is the point of listing that you’re deaf on your ticket when Frontier refuses to accommodate?”
In the caption, the passenger alleged that gate agents apologized for the flight attendants’ behavior when she went to rebook her flight.
Tagging the airline, she told them to “train your flight attendants on disability accommodations, specifically when somebody is deaf/hard of hearing.”
The video has amassed 1.2 million views and thousands of comments, with some people expressing confusion about why she was removed and many others advising Ashley to file a lawsuit against Frontier.
“That’s a lawsuit that will be settled quickly,” one TikTok user wrote.
“Lawsuit mama, God will prevail,” shared another.
“I am so sorry. Frontier airlines should be embarrassed, not you!!” read an additional comment.
Image credits: legallyswiftie13/TikTok
In a statement to The Post, the low-cost airline denied the woman’s allegations, claiming she was actually removed for breaking the rules.
“According to the flight attendant directly involved in the matter, the passenger boarded with an open container which she admitted contained alc*hol when questioned,” the representative said, noting that it is a violation of federal law and airline policy to bring liquor on board.
Image credits: legallyswiftie13/TikTok
The representative added that when the passenger was informed of the violation, she “rapidly consumed” what was left of the drink before handing over the container.
“The flight crew made the decision to remove the customer from the aircraft and she was rebooked on a later flight.”
The airline insisted that there was “no indication” on the woman’s reservation that she is deaf or has any form of disability.
“According to various personnel who interacted with the passenger, she was clearly and effectively conversing with them during interactions,” the spokesperson stated.
In a video posted last December, Ashley said she discovered she was losing her hearing during a routine ear cleaning.
She explained that, not wanting to use hearing aids, she consulted another doctor for a second opinion.
Image credits: legallyswiftie13/TikTok
She claimed she was close to getting cochlear implant surgery—a medical procedure that places a small electronic device in the inner ear to help people with severe hearing loss—until she realized that she could possibly lose what was left of her hearing from the procedure.
“Honestly, maybe I should have let them go through with the surgery because they were not going to explain that to me, and I would have woken up just like, deaf, and maybe I could have sued for medical malpractice,” she said.
"I’m eventually gonna go deaf anyway, may as well have gotten a payout or something.”
Image credits: Brandon Karaca/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
On its website, Frontier Airlines notes that passengers who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired can request assistance during booking or through the airline’s “Manage Trips” tool.
Crew members can work with passengers to “establish a way to share important flight information” once they are on board.
The Air Carrier Access Act protects passengers from discrimination by airlines on the basis of disability, stating that airlines must ensure that communication about flights and safety information is accessible to all.
For instance, airlines must display captioning at all times on all televisions, and information and reservation services must be accessible to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind.
“If a carrier excludes a person with a disability on safety grounds, the carrier must provide a written explanation of the decision,” reads the US Department of Transportation page.
