Distressed California nurse claims Southwest Airlines cruelly kicked her off flight
A facially disfigured nurse says she was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight because of non-cancerous tumors on her face and body.
Briana Solari was removed from a flight from Burbank-Hollywood Airport in Los Angeles to her home in Sacramento shortly after undergoing surgery to shrink a tumor Thursday evening, leaving her with visible scars from the operation.
Solari, who has neurofibromatosis (NF), a condition that causes tumors to grow on nerve endings, told KCRA that after boarding the flight, a Southwest flight attendant approached her and asked her to return to the gate.
“I got off the plane and they said, 'Well, we have some concerns. Do you have any health issues or illnesses?' And I said, 'No, I've had surgery.'”
Briana Solari, pictured, was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight from Burbank to Sacramento after flight attendants were concerned that a non-cancerous tumor on her face could be contagious.
“It's none of their business what's going on. But I said, 'No, I had surgery,' and they said, 'Okay,' and so he got on the phone with someone.”
Solari said the flight attendant called a doctor under contract with Southwest Airlines, but she had never seen the doctor.
Southwest Airlines officials refused to let her try to speak to a doctor and explain her condition, Solari said.
The commotion caused the nurse to miss her flight home and she was deeply upset about her health, with people making rude comments to her.
She said: “Did you feel humiliated, embarrassed, ashamed?”
Solari said living with the condition, called neurofibromatosis, is painful, and the attitude of Southwest staff made it even more painful.
The nurse received a total of $545 in coupons from Southwest Airlines, but she never wants to fly with the airline again and is planning to sue.
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“It's already hard enough. The symptoms are hard enough, but then you have visible tumours on your face and arms and people point them out.”
“It's really hard to quantify what it's like to get attention because of your illness or the way you look. It's something you can't control. So I tried to hide it as much as I could.”
Solari was forced to obtain a letter from his surgeon confirming his condition was not contagious and was eventually able to return home on a subsequent Southwest Airlines flight.
Southwest Airlines rewarded Solari with a $500 ticket and a $45 meal voucher.
But she was so disgusted by the experience that she has vowed never to fly with the company again and plans to sue.
“I don't think I'll ever get on that plane again. I think it could have been handled more professionally,” Solari said.
“They should have waited until they had all the information before making a decision that ultimately impacted my day, my flight, my travels. And it has changed my entire view of Southwest.”
“This is total discrimination! It violates my medical privacy.”
“I just said I had surgery, they don't need to know that. That's all. They shouldn't be prying into my private medical information.”
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson told DailyMail.com: “We are sorry to hear about this customer's experience and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
“Our team ultimately received permission for the customer to travel, but it was too late in time for the flight to depart.
“We have rebooked her on a later flight, provided her with travel and meal vouchers for a future flight, and are in direct contact with her to discuss the situation.”
