Family Says It Was Booted From Flight to Disneyland Over Bogus Lice Fears

A family bound for Disneyland was booted from their Southwest Airlines flight over false lice allegations.

The ordeal started on Dec. 29 when the Newman family was waiting to board their flight from Chicago to Santa Ana, California, the New York Post reports. J. Newman’s wife noticed dry skin in her daughter’s hair and began to pick it out, causing fellow passengers to raise the red flag. About 30 minutes later, the family was told by a Southwest Airlines gate agent that they wouldn’t be boarding their flight.

“That they saw my wife going through my daughter’s hair and that she might have lice. And we looked at each other like, are you serious right now or is this a joke?” Newman said. “We don’t even have lice. That’s the crazy thing. Our daughter doesn’t have lice. So, why they would do this to us, I have no idea.”

According to Newman, the concerns raised were completely unfounded, and he suggested that his family was possibly booted from their flight due to overbooking, though Southwest Airlines said that the flight was not oversold.

A spokesperson for Southwest Airlines said that the airline did their best to help the family and refunded the cost of the Newman’s tickets.

“Based on a conversation our employees had with the family, we determined it would be best to rebook their travel for the following day,” Southwest Airlines spokesperson Brandy King said in a statement. “Our employees are responsible for the well-being of hundreds of thousands of customers daily and are well-known for the care and hospitality they provide. Our goal is for every customer to have a positive experience while traveling Southwest and we do our best to deliver on that commitment while keeping the health and safety of our customers and fellow employees as our top priority.”