Deaf Woman Claims Flight Attendant Booted Her From Flight for Having a Disability

A young law student who went viral for becoming the President of her Homeowners' Association claims she was kicked off a Frontier Airlines flight for being deaf. Ashley (@legallyswiftie13) published a TikTok containing footage of the ordeal.

In it, she calls out the flight attendant and features still images of the employee in question. Moreover, Ashley explains in the clip that she made sure to let Frontier know she had difficulty hearing when booking her ticket, and that the only reason she didn't initially respond to the attendant is due to her disability.

She writes in a text overlay of the TikTok: "Frontier Airlines kicked me off a flight because I'm deaf. What is the point of listing that you're deaf on your ticket when Frontier refuses to accommodate?"

Ashley added further clarification on the situation in a caption for her video: "I was removed from a flight because I am deaf."

The TikToker continued: "When I went to rebook, the gate agents apologized for the flight attendant's behavior." She ended her caption with a tagged mention of Frontier's social media handle and asked that the airline "train [their] flight attendants on disability accommodations. Specifically when somebody is deaf/hard of hearing."

The video shows several people advocating for Ashley, with one passenger expressing that they believed the flight attendant was in the wrong for kicking the content creator off the aircraft because she couldn't hear the attendant's instructions due to her disability.

This reasoning was ultimately ignored by other Frontier Airlines flight attendants, however. Ashley delineated more of her experience on the airplane in another on-screen caption. "Frontier Airlines flight crew (pilots and attendants) kicked me off a flight because I am a deaf person who couldn't hear the flight attendant."

Following this, she highlighted how another Frontier Airlines employee had championed for Ashley, and although the aircraft's crew saw proof of this, they still refused to allow the TikTok user to stay on the plane.

"Despite the Frontier gate agent seen in the footage, advocating for my accommodations listed on my ticket, the flight crew doubled down and removed me from the flight," she penned.

At this point in the video, Ashley can be seen crying on the aircraft, stating aloud that she's being discriminated against simply for being deaf.

She calls the treatment she received "unfair" and that the position she's put in "embarrassing." As she continues to sob and wipe away her tears, she asks other folks on the flight to "excuse" her for crying. Afterwards, she notifies the flight crew that she isn't "resisting anything" and that she's willing to leave the flight without any issues.

Next, the video then cuts to footage of the flight attendant in question as her mother can be heard off camera stating: "why is she so obsessed with it? She's sitting there with the captain right now stating her case."

Then, a different flight attendant approaches Ashley to let her know that they want her off of the flight. A fellow passenger sitting beside the TikToker gets up to make room for her to enter the aisle. As Ashley gets up, she mentions to her mother that she wants to get her dog.

The flight attendant assures Ashley that they're going to work on putting her on another flight. "How dare that woman!" her mother whispers behind the camera. Ashley, continuing to sob, accuses the flight attendant of lying about the situation in order to ensure she is removed from the flight.

Ashley's been chronicling what it's like living with her disability since December of 2024. In this video, she shared how a simple visit to the doctor for an ear cleaning turned into the heartrending realization that she'd progressively lose her hearing.

In a follow-up video to her Frontier Airlines experience, Ashley published a TikTok highlighting the airline's policies about making accommodations for passengers who are hard of hearing. The blurb she includes in her clip remarks that "because it is sometimes difficult for our employees to know if you are unable to hear, identify yourself to one of our customer service representatives at the ticket counter and departure gate."

Additionally, the accommodation policy tells fliers to also alert flight attendants. This FAQ on Frontier's website also reads: "If you need assistance for a customer who is deaf/hard of hearing, or is blind/sight impaired, please let us know how we can assist."

It also says that folks booking tickets on a Frontier Airlines flight should "add [their] request when booking."

Commenters who replied to her video urged Ashley to pursue legal action against both the employee and the airline. And there were even a few people on the social media app who said they work in law and can help her with her case. "Hi! I'm a disability rights lawyer. Feel free to DM me," one penned.