Marissa Bode calls out airline’s ‘blatant segregation’ after being denied passage on flight due to disability

The “Wicked: For Good” actress shared the experience to emphasize how airlines can often make traveling with a disability difficult, saying, “It is always something when I’m flying.”

“Wicked: For Good” actress Marissa Bode is calling out an airline she says did not allow her to board after realizing she uses a wheelchair.

“As long as airlines are sh–y, I’m going to continue talking about it,” she said.

In a video posted to TikTok on Thursday (April 23), Bode, who is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair for mobility, explained that while trying to board her connecting flight with Southern Airlines, she was told by staff that she would not be able to board because she could not stand.

“They proceeded to tell me all the planes within this airline have stairs to get on the plane, Bode said in the TikTok. “Wild. Never heard of that before.”

She added, “Why are we waiting around for a disabled person to be present to even think about changing things or even accommodating things?” she said. “And even then, I know they’re not going to do it.”

Bode noted in the video that “it is always something” that goes wrong when she flies because of her wheelchair.

“I was like, disabled people are not an afterthought. Why, knowing that disabled people exist, which y’all clearly often forget, do you choose not to update your planes? And I was like, ‘This is blatant segregation.’”

According to Bode, the airline staffer at the gate said that another issue with her boarding was the weight of her wheelchair, to which she responded that the chair was 35 pounds, which is under the luggage weight limit for most flights. Her manager, who booked the flight, also confirmed that the airline was aware of her disability when the ticket was booked and assured him that she would be accommodated accordingly.

Ultimately, the staff’s refusal to allow her on the flight forced Bode to take an “expensive” three-hour car ride to her destination, she said. Though the incident was blamed on a communication issue, she argued that there is much more to the problem and that it is “rare” when she gets through the airport without issues.

“It is more than bad miscommunication. It is so much more than a mistake, an oopsie,” she said. “These are our lives. This is our entire existence you’re talking about.”