Juliette Beegle, 15, from Oregon was on a United Airlines flight with her family when the pilot made an emergency landing in Salt Lake City to kick them out because he wasn't comfortable having the autistic teen on board.
The Beegle family took a connecting flight from Houston to Portland International Airport on their way back from Disney World. Donna Beegle, Juliette's mother, is a public speaker and had flown her daughter to Paris and 22 U.S. states due to her speaking engagements. They never had any issues until Tuesday, according to ABC News.
The problem began when Donna asked the flight attendant if there were hot meals available after Juliette refused the cold sandwich. However, the flight attendant said that they couldn't accommodate their request because they were sitting on the economy class. Beegle explained that her daughter has special needs because of her condition. Juliette is picky about food which is common in those with autism.
'You know what? Maybe after she has a meltdown and she's crying and trying to scratch, then you'll help us,'" Beegle said, according to ABC News.
The flight attendant gave in to their request. However, 30 minutes later, an announcement was made that the plane would make an emergency landing to remove a passenger with a behavior issue. The police escorted the family out of the plane.
"Well, the captain doesn't feel comfortable flying to Portland with your daughter on the plane,'" Beegle said she was told, according to ABC News.
United Airlines defended the decision of the pilot.
"After working to accommodate Dr. Beegle and her daughter during the flight, the crew made the best decision for the safety and comfort of all of our customers and elected to divert to Salt Lake City after the situation became disruptive. We rebooked the customers on a different carrier and the flight continued to Portland," a United Airlines spokesperson wrote in an email to KATU News.
Beegle is now preparing a lawsuit against the United Airlines and has reported the incident to the Federal Aviation Administration.
