A New Jersey mother is speaking out after what she describes as a deeply distressing experience aboard a recent United Airlines flight.
Melissa Sotomayor has accused the airline’s crew members of pressuring her to disconnect her 21-month-old son, Noah, from his life-sustaining ventilator and oxygen concentrator before the plane could take off.
A Struggle for Medical Rights
Noah, who was born with a rare medical condition, relies on a tracheostomy and ventilator to breathe.
Unfortunately, during the flight from Tampa to Newark on March 8, this crucial medical equipment became the center of a tense and unsettling confrontation.
Sotomayor shared the experience in a now-viral TikTok video, which has garnered over 1.2 million views.
“These are the devices that keep him alive,” Sotomayor explained in the video, clearly shaken.
She revealed that she had flown with Noah on United just days earlier, without any issues.
She had used the same equipment, followed the airline’s protocols, and provided all required documentation ahead of time.
However, her return flight was a starkly different story.
Pressure to Disconnect Life-Sustaining Equipment
Soon after boarding the flight, a male flight attendant approached Sotomayor and told her that she would need to disconnect Noah’s ventilator and oxygen concentrator before takeoff.
Despite explaining that these devices were essential to her son’s survival, the situation escalated.
“Instead of backing off, two more flight attendants and even the captain got involved, repeating the same demand and asking for more documentation,” Sotomayor recalled.
She had already submitted all necessary paperwork to United’s accessibility department, but this was apparently not enough.
One flight attendant even said, “He’ll be okay until we’re in the air at a high enough altitude,” an assertion that deeply upset Sotomayor.
Unsettling Delay and Harassment
What followed was an even more disturbing sequence of events.
Passengers who witnessed the interaction described it as harassment, and some even spoke out against how Sotomayor was being treated.
According to her video, the crew suggested she might need to change seats if she refused to comply with their demands.
The captain reportedly delayed the flight for over an hour, a tactic Sotomayor believes was designed to pressure her into compliance.
“The captain didn’t even come back to tell me if we were going to fly,” she said, “he just came on the speaker and said we were cleared for takeoff.”
Public Outrage and Legal Action
Sotomayor’s story quickly gained traction online, with many social media users expressing outrage at the airline’s treatment of her and her son.
Some users called for a boycott of United Airlines, while others urged Sotomayor to pursue legal action.
“The fact that they thought taking your son off oxygen and a ventilator for any amount of time, and he would be fine, is INSANE,” one user wrote.
In response to the incident, Sotomayor has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for legal fees.
She is determined to take legal action against United Airlines, saying, “This wasn’t just a mistake; it was a complete disregard for my son’s life, and our dignity.”
United Airlines Responds
United Airlines has since reached out to Sotomayor to address her concerns, offering an apology for any frustration she experienced.
However, Sotomayor remains steadfast in her resolve to hold the airline accountable for what she views as an unacceptable mishandling of her son’s medical needs.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines do allow for the use of portable ventilators and oxygen concentrators on commercial flights.
Despite this, United’s accessibility policy requires passengers to submit medical device documentation, which Sotomayor asserts she did well in advance.
Sotomayor’s call for accountability goes beyond just her family.
She is speaking out for every family who has felt unwelcome or unsafe while traveling with medical needs.
“I’m not going to let this go,” she said. “They need to be held accountable – not just for Noah, but for every family who’s been made to feel like they don’t belong.”