13-Year-Old with Tourette Syndrome Removed from Gatwick Flight After Shouting "Bomb"

Armed police escorted a 13-year-old boy, Mason, and his family from London Gatwick Airport on Saturday after he repeatedly shouted "bomb" while awaiting a British Airways flight to Spain. The family, from Harwich in Essex, were subsequently refused entry to the flight, with the airline citing safety risks.

Mason's father, Martyn, 39, described the incident as "horrendous" and accused British Airways of discrimination. The family had previously spent £4,000 on flights for a group of ten and had informed airline staff the day before of Mason's Tourette syndrome diagnosis and his anxiety about flying, which often exacerbated his involuntary vocal tics.

Despite Mason wearing a sunflower lanyard, indicating a hidden disability, and carrying a diagnosis letter, a British Airways manager denied them boarding at the gate. A video of the confrontation shows the manager stating, "We are not refusing him because he's got a disability. We are refusing him because there's been a threat made that he has a bomb in his bag."

Following their removal by armed police, Mason, his parents, and his one-year-old sister were forced to spend the night in a hotel. They later paid an additional £2,400 for new flights with Vueling on Sunday, missing the first day of their holiday. Mason's 16-year-old sister was permitted to travel on the original flight with family friends. Martyn expressed his distress, noting that the experience brought him to tears and was "heartbreaking for the poor kid" who had greatly anticipated the holiday.