American Airlines is under fire for alleged discrimination after Black parents were not allowed to check a stroller at the gate, while white parents on the same flight were.
But this wasn’t just any stroller; it was a mobility aid for the couple’s 4-year-old daughter, who has a disability that prevented her from walking unassisted in public.
The mother claimed that three white American Airlines employees scoffed at her predicament and refused even to read the medical paperwork. Instead, the mother said they instructed her to check the stroller as baggage, asking, “Can’t you carry your own child?”
@nneomastorm_ **AMERICAN AIRLINES: THIS IS WHAT YOU DID TO US.** At 5AM, we were forced to carry two heavy, sleeping babies through TSA—because they refused to let us gate-check our stroller. We begged. We showed proof other airlines had allowed it. Meanwhile, white families with strollers? Waved through. No issue. Same stroller. Different treatment. And when we landed… Our stroller came out in pieces. Parts missing. Damaged. This isn’t just policy—it’s discrimination. Our children deserved compassion. Instead, we got humiliation. And broken property. Parents, especially Black families—be warned. This is how American Airlines treats us. #FlyingWhileBlack is not a myth. It’s our reality. Tag American Airlines. Share this. Make it known. We won’t be silent. We won’t forget. #AmericanAirlinesExposed #BlackParentsMatter #ShameOnYouAA #TravelWhileBlack #DiscriminationInTheSky #MomLife #DadLife #AgainstAllOdds #BEFAFoundation ♬ original sound – nneomastorm
Atlanta Black Star reached out to American Airlines for comment, but had not heard back by press time.
“No empathy. No compromise. Just refusal. But what broke us wasn’t just the grueling walk through TSA with heavy children in our arms. It was watching, yes, watching as white families in the same line were allowed to keep their strollers,” said the upset mother, who goes by Nneomastorm on TikTok. She posted two videos about the incident that are quickly gaining traction. “Same setup, same flight process, different treatment. We were told our stroller was different. The only difference is the color of our skin,” she said through tears.
The incident happened on July 12, and the mother’s video details the sequence of events, including a close-up of previous gate-checked tags on the stroller in question.
Her follow-up video on July 18 highlighted the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), a federal law that protects people with disabilities while they travel. “The law is on our side,” she stated. Indeed, strollers can be considered protected mobility devices for children with disabilities, and they must be allowed as carry-ons at no extra cost.
@nneomastorm_ Ok. American Airlines took our money and gave us trauma. A stroller wagon they REFUSED to weigh. A child with special needs. Documents they REFUSED to look at (in her words: “I don’t care what you have on there”). Previous gate check tags they ignored. We begged. They mocked. “Can’t you carry your own child?” — her exact words. So we did. Through TSA. With a steaming 4-year-old and a one year old baby. No accommodation. No compassion. No humanity. Since that flight, I’ve had panic attacks just remembering it. But here’s the thing: I’m not just carrying my child anymore. I’m carrying a movement. We won’t let this slide. You picked the wrong mama. Let’s talk justice. Let’s talk accountability. Let’s talk @americanair. #WeGateCheckWithReceipts #SpecialNeedsDeserveRespect #NotJustBaggage #FightAbleism #SayNoToRacism #AmericanAirlinesDoBetter #AgainstAllOdds @mazitundeednut @usdot @nneomabenson @attorneycrump @Tundeednut ♬ original sound – nneomastorm
“Airlines must allow assistive devices as carry-ons in the cabin free of charge, consistent with safety rules,” reads the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which also states that assistive devices must not be counted against the passenger’s carry-on limit.
Though she has been plagued with panic attacks since the incident, Nneomastorm wrote in the caption that she “won’t let this slide. You picked the wrong mama.”
“To every parent of color, to every mother, to every father, this is a warning: American Airlines didn’t just inconvenience us; they humiliated us,” she said.
Great Job Grace Jidoun & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
