AirAsia explains familys removal from flight over use of special seat

The airline says the decision to refuse the use of a special aircraft seat by a child with disability was made in accordance with safety requirements and operating procedures.

It said, however, that it would review its policies to ensure greater clarity for passengers and operating crew.

In a statement, AirAsia acknowledged that the family may have had different expectations due to their previous travel experiences with the airline.

“The safety and wellbeing of our guests will always remain our highest priority.

“While we empathise with the disappointment experienced by the family, the decision was made in accordance with applicable safety requirements and operating procedures at the time of travel,” said AirAsia X chief safety and quality officer S Saravanan.

He said AirAsia had contacted the passenger directly to provide clarification and assistance, and was conducting a comprehensive review of the application and communication of existing requirements relating to specialised child restraint systems.

For future travel, the airline encouraged passengers to present documentation confirming the suitability of specialised child restraint devices, including those used by persons with disabilities, to help ground and cabin crews facilitate approvals before departure.

This would allow the airline’s ground and cabin crews to better assess and facilitate any necessary approvals in advance.

The statement comes after a complaint posted on Facebook by a mother, who said her family was asked to disembark flight AK1776 despite having declared and received approval for her daughter’s Federal Aviation Administration-approved special aircraft seat during check-in.

She said her daughter, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, had previously flown using the same seat, and called for greater clarity on AirAsia’s policies for passengers with disabilities.

The mother said the episode was “emotionally distressing, humiliating, and heartbreaking for the family, especially for our child with special needs”.

She said that after being escorted back to the terminal gate, her family was informed that arrangements could be made for them to board the next available flight to Kuching.

“However, we were also told that if the next pilot in command similarly rejected us (over the use of the special seat), our family could once again be offloaded from the aircraft. At that point, we respectfully declined.

“We did not think it was fair for our family to continue travelling under such uncertainty,” she said.