NBC News

Airline Crew Allegedly Refused to Accommodate Traveler With Autism

"There’s a certain sensitivity level, compassion level you need to have to fly with travelers who have disabilities," Ayomide Isola said

A man says crew members on a SkyWest Airlines flight refused to allow his brother with autism to sit near a family member Friday and walked off the plane, forcing all 75 passengers to deplane and board another flight three hours later. Now, the crew, including the pilots, have been grounded while the airline investigates the incident, NBC News reports.

Ayomide Isola, 23, was on SkyWest flight 3596 from Detroit to Houston with his mother, sister and 21-year-old brother, Tayo, who is nonverbal and unable to express himself. SkyWest is a connection carrier for Delta and other major airlines.

SkyWest acknowledged the flight experienced a delay boarding "as a result of an issue regarding customer seat assignments," and said it was investigating the incident.

"We are committed to providing exceptional onboard service to all of our customers and are working with our partner Delta to reach out to the customers," a spokeswoman said.

Delta said in a statement Monday that it was reviewing the details of the incident to "better understand what happened." 

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