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“If You Don’t Like Your Seat, Help Yourself Off the Plane” Post-Surgery Passenger Says Frontier Refused to Help Her

Jacynda Pena, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, says that the carrier seated her in a cramped space on a recent Florida-bound flight.

A woman with a rare medical syndrome says that Frontier Airlines failed to accommodate her needs on a recent flight from Providence, Rhode Island to Orlando, Florida. Fox affiliate Boston 25 News reports that the passenger, 20-year-old Jacynda Pena, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which causes loose joints, stretchy skin, the formation of abnormal scars and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Pena, who had just undergone her 14th surgery as a result of the disease, was flying with the carrier to visit family in Florida. She was informed by doctors that, following the operation, she would need to keep her leg straight during the duration of the flight. In the days running up to her trip, Pena says that she rang Frontier to ensure that she would be allotted with an extra seat.

However, upon boarding the plane, she says that she was seated in a cramped area and was unable to fully stretch out.

Pena added that she was eventually moved to the first row of the plane, but says that even here, her foot still touched the craft’s bulkhead.

When she spoke to a member of cabin crew, Pena states the staff member’s reply was unhelpful. “Her response was, ‘if you don’t like your seat, you can help yourself off the plane,’” she said.

Frontier issued an official statement regarding the incident, saying, “Our crew and reservations acted in accordance with our internal policies and procedures. Ms. Pena was seated in an extra legroom seat (3F) and was dissatisfied with it, our crew then actively worked to reseat Ms. Pena in a seat where she would be more comfortable. She was then seated in the bulkhead seat, (1C), where she would have no seat in front of her.”

“This passenger’s initial request to our reservations team was for a seat with extra legroom and this was provided free of charge. Ms. Pena has an upcoming flight scheduled with us and we continue to work with her to find an acceptable solution including allowing her to purchase the adjacent seat for the original cost – $19.20. She declined this offer,” it added.

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2 Comments
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OMSHH October 21, 2017

While I can sympathize with her for her medical condition, she needs lose her sense if entitlement to a free seat. I don't know how the provisions of the ADA would apply in these circumstances, the term "reasonable accomodations" seems to ring a bell, and the way I see it, Frontier has fulfilled that requirement when they moved her to the bulkhead! If people who are overweight have to reserve and pay for the extra seat they need, so should someone who needs the room to get sprawled out over two seats to be "comfortable".

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diver858 October 21, 2017

Passenger was medically unfit to fly on Frontier, should have been escorted off the aircraft to buy a second, adjacent seat, or given a full refund, directed to a full service carrier, offering first class seats on the same route.