Sisters traveling to see dying father kicked off plane
File photograph of Allegiant airplane.
DELAND, Fla. (AP) - Two sisters said they were kicked off an Allegiant Air flight after authorities deemed them a threat, and it cost them the chance to see their dying father.
Debbie Hartman and Trisha Baker of DeLand, Florida, said they were on the plane Monday in Orlando, waiting to take off for Asheville, North Carolina, to see their father, who was in hospice care.
When Baker got a text message saying her father only had hours to live, she wanted to tell her sister, who was sitting further back in the plane, but a flight attendant stepped in when she got up from her seat and instructed her to sit down.
After a brief exchange between the two, the flight attendant alerted the captain and airport security escorted them off the plane.
Their father died a short while later, and Hartman said they want the airline to be held accountable for keeping them from getting to see him.
Allegiant officials told the station they are investigating.
A statement from the airline said they rely on the crew to "provide and oversee a safe environment for every passenger, on every flight. We expect that authority to be exercised both judiciously and consistently, with empathy and with good judgment. We take this customer feedback seriously and are in the process of conducting an investigation into what occurred."