Man kicked off flight for bringing his dialysis machine

Adron Mccarter says being removed from flight was a nightmare

A Tennessee man who was kicked off a flight for bringing a kidney dialysis machine onboard says he was “publicly humiliated” by the pilot.

Adron Mccarter and his wife flew United Airlines from Knoxville to Denver, Colorado, to visit their newborn granddaughter in Spokane for the first time.

Mr Mccarter, a stage five renal kidney failure patient, had never been on a plane before due to his disease, which requires him to be close to a dialysis machine at all times.

He said he spent months completing the required paperwork to bring the machine with him, and travelled to Denver without incident.

But on the return flight back to Knoxville, the pilot refused to fly with Mr Mccarter’s machine onboard.

Describing the incident on Facebook, Mr Mccarter said he was “still in shock” about how he was treated by the pilot, who works for SkyWest airlines.

“Not only did they kick me off a flight for being a Stage 5 renal kidney failure patient but he also publicly humiliated me in front of everyone telling them that I was trying to bring a machine that was not allowed on the aircraft after months of preparing and being sure that everything was documented.”

He told WBIR he and his wife were made to feel like terrorists.

He said the airline apologised and provided a hotel room for the night. But the delay interrupted his kidney treatment, which caused him health problems.

He spoke publicly about his nightmare experience to bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by people living with disabilities.

SkyWest did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the airline told WBIR there had been a “misunderstanding about the approved medical device with which they were travelling.”

“Together with United, we provided food, lodging and made arrangements to get the customer to his destination as quickly as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience and are following up with our crew to prevent a similar situation in the future.”

The airline industry has been affected by labour shortages, with SouthWest Airlines cancelling 1800 flights over the weekend.