A four-year-old autistic boy has been kicked off a flight because he wasn't wearing a face mask.
Mum Callie Kimball said her son and husband had on Monday boarded a Spirit Airlines aircraft from Las Vegas in the US where they had flown to visit family over the weekend.
They were bound back home in Little Rock when they were removed from the plane as their son Carter, who is autistic and non-verbal, wasn't wearing a face mask.
Ms Kimball told CBS Little Rock affiliate KTVH-TV her husband had a medical note with him certifying that Carter is exempt from wearing a face covering because he "freaks out" when he wears one and risks hurting himself.
She said: "He has a disability. It's protected under the American Disability Act and they go 'No no no no. Autism's not a disability'.
"He has to wear a mask or he has to get off the plane.'"
Heartbreaking pictures show a distraught Carter - who is "obsessed" with planes - lying on the floor in tears after being kicked off the flight.
"He was sitting in his seat being quietly and looking out the window, and this lady was like 'Get off'," the disgruntled mum said.
The family was able to secure a flight with American Airlines, who took them home after accepting Carter's medical note.
Mrs Kimball said as a parent of an autistic child she had "never in my life experienced that kind of discrimination from someone".
Under US guidelines, travellers with a disability should be exempt from wearing a face mask.
But Spirit Airlines said in a statement to the Mirror that all passengers except those under the age of two must wear a face mask, regardless of any medical exemption.
It cared to point out that airlines are still adjusting to US government guidelines on face mask exemptions before stating that it "an immediate refund" was issued to the family.
The statement reads: "We sympathise with families facing additional burdens while traveling, including those dealing with medical conditions.
"Like most airlines, Spirit Airlines started requiring face coverings in May 2020 with the only exemption being one for children under age 2 for the safety of our Guests and Team Members during the flight.
"We remind guests of our face covering policy throughout the booking process, in a pre-trip email, and in a required acknowledgement that is part of the check-in procedure.
"Our existing policy does not provide for medical exemptions, regardless of diagnosis. Our team members explained this to our guests, but never questioned anyone’s medical status in the process."
