In a bizarre incident, a female doctor from Houston and her 8-year-old son were denied boarding flight on June 30 unless she “covered up” with a blanket. Going by the various media reports, the female doctor from Texas claimed that an American Airlines flight attendant made her cover herself up before she was allowed to fly.
Tisha Rowe, who practices family medicine in Houston, had already boarded her flight in Kingston, Jamaica, with her 8-year-old son Chase. But before the plane was scheduled to take off for Miami, a flight attendant pulled her aside and asked her to deplane “for a talk,” Rowe recounted on Twitter.
Here is what i was wearing when @AmericanAir asked me to deplane for a talk. At which point I was asked to “cover up”. When defending my outfit I was threatened with not getting back on the flight unless I walked down the aisle wrapped in a blanket. #notsofriendlyskies pic.twitter.com/AYQNNriLcq
— Tisha Rowe MD, MBA (@tisharowemd) July 1, 2019
The images show the front and side of Rowe’s attire that she chose to wear on the flight.
In an exclusive interview to The Washington Post, Rowe gave the details of the incident. She was returning to the United States after spending a week in Jamaica. She said, that as she arrived at the Kingston Airport, she was sweating, she headed to the washroom to cool off. She said, “I looked at myself. I knew how I looked, front and back.”
As she boarded the plane, a female flight attendant went up to her and asked to step outside to talk. “Do you have a jacket?” To which Rowe responded saying, no. The female flight attendant then told her, “You cannot get on the plane dressed like that.”
Finally, Rowe gave in and asked for a blanket to cover up as she did not want to miss the flight.
Once back in the States, Rowe shared the story on social media, and added that she believed race played a factor in the attendant’s decision to single her out.
In a statement obtained by Fox News, American Airlines said it had reached out to apologize.
“We were concerned about Dr. Rowe’s comments, and reached out to her and our team at the Kingston airport to gather more information about what occurred,” said American Airlines spokesperson Shannon Gilson. “We apologize to Dr. Rowe and her son for their experience, and have fully refunded their travel. We are proud to serve customers of all backgrounds and are committed to providing a positive, safe travel experience for everyone who flies with us.”
Rowe, meanwhile, has said she was thankful for the “outpouring of love” she’s received since sharing the story.
