Overview
- The Wicked actor’s TikTok, posted Thursday, describes being turned away from a Southern Airways connection after gate agents asked if she could stand.
- She says staff cited stairs-only boarding on the small plane and the 35-pound weight of her wheelchair, and she later drove about three to three-and-a-half hours to reach her destination.
- Bode says her manager had confirmed before the trip that accommodations would be in place, which made the denial feel like a breakdown in planning and training.
- Southern Airways said it is investigating and has contacted her to offer support, and Bode later said a company representative apologized and began an internal review.
- Federal rules bar discrimination and require boarding help, but aircraft with 28 or fewer seats are exempt from having mechanical lifts, a carveout Southern cites in its contract that also requires passengers to climb steps.