An influencer flying with American Airlines claims she was left bruised with a dislocated hand after staff allegedly refused to assist with stowing her carry-on in the overhead bin.
Tara Rule, 34, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that limits her ability to move heavy objects. Her joints are extremely fragile and dislocate easily.
She normally receives flight accommodations for stowing and retrieving carry-on items – but the airline staff allegedly failed to help on her flight to Los Angeles from Chicago.
On the plane back to LAX, she said she asked the crew for help with stowing her bag away. The flight attendant allegedly told her: ‘We don’t do inflight, hospitality, or personal service.’
Rule, who has 496,000 followers on TikTok, said she started panicking during the ordeal – and ended up injuring herself while getting her bag into the bin.
She told the Daily Mail: ‘They basically said, “no one’s going to touch your bags. You’re gonna have to ask a stranger.”
‘And now I have to disclose the fact that I have a disability to a stranger, like it was weird.
‘I just kind of panicked, because there’s a line of people behind me and I tried doing it myself, and I got hurt.’
Tara Rule, 34, has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that limits her ability to move heavy objects
Rule, who has 496,000 followers on TikTok, started panicking and ended up injuring herself while getting her bag into the bin
The 34-year-old normally receives flight accommodations for stowing and retrieving carry-on items. but the flight attendant allegedly refused to help her this time
Rule said she dislocated her hand trying to maneuver the luggage. She is under treatment for a blown vein, a pinched nerve, and pinkie tremor. Luckily, two passengers came to her rescue on the flight.
The 34-year-old has never faced this problem before. She asked if this policy was new or a violation of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), a law that protects disabled people when traveling, but she says the staff simply responded they are not allowed to touch passenger’s personal belongings.
The US Department of Transportation states once a passenger with a disability has boarded, airlines must provide assistance, if requested, such as stowing and retrieving carry-on items, including assistive devices.
‘I think my situation is just a symptom of a much bigger problem, which is why I brought it to the internet,’ the influencer said.
American Airlines was recently fined $50million for repeatedly violating laws protecting passengers with disabilities between 2019 and 2023, according to the US Department of Transportation.
Rule added: ‘It’s not just me. They’re screwing over disabled people, but they’re also screwing their own employees and their own flight attendants.
‘They’re putting all the liability on them, because a lot of times, people, even on American Airlines flights, have helped me with my bags.
‘They are actively putting themselves in a position of liability and potential termination for just being kind to a disabled person.’
American Airlines Complaint Resolution Official and Special Assistance representative reached out to Rule and offered her a refund, but have not followed up since.
Rule dislocated her hand trying to maneuver the luggage and is under treatment for multiple injuries
The 34-year-old is currently being treated for a blown vein, a pinched nerve, and a pinkie tremor
Rule is concerned about the bigger issue at hand. She told the Daily Mail: ‘I don’t want a refund, I want [them] to fix the problem.’
The 34-year-old said she believes airlines need to properly train and educate their employees based on disability regulations. She is advocating for a designated crew member to help disabled people onboard.
She added: ‘They should have a trained, designated person assisting with mobility devices and luggage that you know won’t get hurt.’
After posting her ordeal online, Rule received overwhelming support on social media, her original TikTok reaching 74,000 likes and over 2,000 comments.
Now, the popular social media influencer is planning legal action against the airline.
She said: ‘I’m more than happy to start a class action, and I would encourage their own employees, their flight attendants, to also start a class action for violating their rights by putting liability on them.’
American Airlines has been contacted for comment.