Broadway Star Marissa Bode Denied Flight Boarding Due to Disability, Calls It 'Blatant Segregation'

Broadway star Marissa Bode, known for her role in Wicked, has accused Southern Airways of denying her boarding on a flight due to her disability. Bode, a vocal advocate for disability rights, shared her experience on TikTok on Thursday, stating,

"I was denied boarding a flight because I’m disabled."

She continued,

"I wish that were clickbait. I wish that were false, but that is what happened."

Bode emphasized that her intention was to warn others, saying,

"I’m making this for my other disabled peers out there. Do not fly Southern Airways."

The actress explained that she was traveling for a speaking engagement in Pennsylvania when the incident occurred. Before boarding, she requested assistance from crew members in locating her virtual ticket. However, she claims she was then told she could not board because of her disability.

"The two people at the gate look at me, and they are like, ‘Can you stand?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And they said, ‘I’m sorry, but because of that, we’re going to have to deny you boarding.’ They proceeded to tell me all the planes within this airline have stairs to get on the plane. Wild. Never heard of that before."

Bode criticized the airline for failing to accommodate disabled passengers, calling it "blatant segregation." She questioned why the airline, knowing disabled individuals exist, does not update its planes for accessibility.

Southern Airways’ contract of carriage states that "customers must be able to ascend and descend several steps to board the aircraft," adding that aircraft with "28 or fewer passengers" are not required under the AirCarrier Access Act to provide mechanical lift devices for boarding or deplaning.

Despite this, Bode’s manager had reportedly confirmed with the airline beforehand that she would be allowed to board. She shared that a Southern Airways representative later contacted her, expressing regret and apologizing for the incident.

"They are doing an internal look on things on how this happened. They’re doing the right thing, in terms of, how to rectify it."

Bode’s video went viral, prompting widespread discussion about airline accessibility and discrimination against disabled passengers.