Autistic boy banned from flight without doctor’s note

A family has claimed that they were stranded abroad for two days their autistic son was deemed unfit to fly and they were forced to get a doctor’s certificate.

Arshad Sherbaz and Selina Begun told the Daily Mail that they had to stay in Turkey for two days when their son Mustafah, 11, was not allowed to board their flight back to the UK, despite the family having already checked in.

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The couple, their son and 19-year-old daughter reportedly had to stay in the country until Mustafah got a “fit to fly” note from a doctor.

According to the Mail, the family booked a holiday package through operator Thomas Cook last July and they have since been offered an apology and £750 ($NZ 1534) in compensation.

Sherbaz told the Mail the family was “gobsmacked” when they were turned away at the gate at Dalaman Airport.

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“Someone from Thomas Cook told us that they had spoken to the pilot who had refused to let my son on the plane to fly home. They said Mustafah was a safety risk and was not fit to fly.

“We couldn’t understand. I had notified Thomas Cook before the holiday about my son’s disability. The only thing I could think of was that he had a small tantrum on the flight on the way
out.”

Mustafah has severe autism and communciates through sign language.

The couple told the Mail that after getting the doctor’s certificate and anti-anxiety medication prescribed for Mustafah, they returned to the airport 40 hours later for the next flight home but nobody asked to see the document.

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“After all of that they never asked to see the letter. Our week-long holiday, which had been so lovely, ended in a nightmare,” Sherbaz was quoted as saying.

A Thomas Cook spokesman told the Mail that Medlink, a company it contracts, was responsible for the decision to request a doctor’s certificate.

“Our customer services team are now liaising directly with the family to ensure they are compensated for the additional expenses they incurred and we'd like to apologise for any confusion caused during their holiday. At all times, our concern was for the health of Master Sherbaz.”