“Wicked” star Marissa Bode is looking out an airline after a shocking travel ordeal she says left her grounded due to her disability. The 25-year-old actress, who uses a wheelchair after being paralyzed in a childhood automobile accident, took to TikTok to accuse Southern Airways of refusing to let her board a flight, alleging she was denied access as a consequence of her inability to climb stairs.
Marissa Bode claimed that when she approached the gate for a connecting flight to Pennsylvania, airline staff questioned her ability to face before ultimately denying her entry. “I got to the gate and was like, ‘Hey, could you help me locate my boarding pass?’ And the 2 people on the gate have a look at me and so they’re like, ‘Are you able to stand?’ And I said, ‘No.’ They usually said, ‘I’m sorry, due to that we’re gonna need to deny you boarding,’” she claimed.
The “Wicked” actress said she was told all passengers must climb stairs to board the aircraft, something she pushed back on within the moment. “They proceeded to inform me all of the planes inside this airline have stairs to get on the plane. Wild. Never heard of that before… You’re telling me not one of the individuals who have flown in your plane before are disabled?” the actress continued.
Bode Calls Out Airline For ‘Blatant Segregation’ In Heated Response
Bode didn’t hold back in her response, accusing the airline of discrimination and an absence of accessibility.
“That is blatant segregation,” she claimed before questioning why accommodations weren’t already in place, arguing that disabled passengers shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought. “Disabled people should not an afterthought. Why, knowing that disabled people exist, which y’all clearly often forget, do you select to not update your planes?”
Airline Policy Under Scrutiny As Accessibility Rules Come Into Focus
Under the Air Carrier Access Act, airlines are prohibited from discriminating based on disability and are required to supply assistance boarding and deplaning. Nonetheless, smaller aircraft, like those operated by Southern Airways, should not at all times required to have mechanical lifts, in response to the airline’s policy.
Southern Airways states that passengers must give you the option to climb steps to board, though it notes ramps could also be available at certain locations, but should not guaranteed.
Marissa Bode Says Airline ‘Shifted Excuses’ As Travel Ordeal Forced Costly Detour
Bode said the situation escalated further when airline staff reportedly shifted their reasoning to the burden of her wheelchair, something she strongly disputed. “My chair is 35lbs. I’m heavier than my chair. My chair might be lower than other people’s luggage,” she said, adding that moments like this are far too common when traveling. “And that is what I mean after I say it’s at all times something after I’m flying.”
After being denied boarding, Bode said she was forced to take a costly three-and-a-half-hour drive to succeed in her destination for a speaking engagement. The “Wicked” actress also revealed that her manager had previously confirmed with the airline that accommodations can be available. “I literally called them, talked to them on the phone, asked Southern Airlines if they may make that accommodation and so they fully assured me and told me yes,” she claimed.
Southern Airways Responds, Says Incident ‘Does Not Reflect Our Standards’ As Investigation Begins
In a statement, Southern Airways said Bode’s experience “doesn’t reflect the usual to which we hold ourselves,” adding that the corporate is investigating the incident and reviewing its processes.
“We’re investigating the incident, and can take all appropriate motion, including making any mandatory improvements to our processes and training,” the corporate said. “We have now reached out to Ms Bode to supply support and can work to handle her concerns.”
Meanwhile, Bode claims, “It’s so way more than bad communication. It’s so way more than a mistake. These are our lives. That is our entire existence you’re talking about. My wheelchair is my freedom,” she continued. “And naturally after I’m crying out of frustration and talking to the people on the gate very firmly, I appear to be a crazy person. I appear to be the one which’s within the flawed.”