Actress Marissa Bode is calling attention to an incident involving Southern Airways, alleging she was denied boarding due to her disability.
In a TikTok video posted on April 23, the 25-year-old Wicked star detailed the experience, describing what she characterized as discriminatory treatment while attempting to board a connecting flight.
“I was denied boarding a flight because I’m disabled,” she said at the beginning of the video.
Bode explained that she had successfully completed an earlier leg of her trip with another airline and was traveling to Pennsylvania for a speaking engagement. The issue arose, she said, when she approached the gate for her connecting flight operated by Southern Airways.
According to Bode, she requested assistance locating her boarding pass when the interaction took a turn.
“And the two people at the gate look at me and they’re like, ‘Can you stand?’ And I said, ‘No.’ And they said, ‘I’m sorry, because of that we’re gonna have to deny you boarding,’” she said.
She further recounted that airline staff informed her that all planes operated by the airline require passengers to use stairs to board—something she said she had never encountered as a universal policy.
“They proceeded to tell me all the planes within this airline have stairs to get on the plane. Wild. Never heard of that before,” she said. “To which I said, ‘I’ve never heard that before. You’re telling me none of the people who have flown on your plane before are disabled?’”
Bode described the situation as “blatant segregation,” expressing frustration over what she viewed as a lack of accommodation.
She also addressed concerns reportedly raised by staff regarding her wheelchair and luggage.
Bode noted that her wheelchair weighs approximately 35 pounds and that she was traveling with only a small duffle bag, questioning the rationale behind the decision.
According to her account, her manager had previously contacted the airline to confirm that accommodations would be possible.
“They ‘fully assured’ him and told him yes,” she said.
The incident, Bode explained, reflects broader systemic issues she has encountered while traveling as a wheelchair user. She referenced a previous experience in which her wheelchair was nearly sent to a different city.
“It’s so much more than a mistake. These are our lives,” Bode said. “My wheelchair is my freedom.”
Her video has since drawn attention online, with viewers and advocacy groups highlighting ongoing accessibility challenges within air travel.
As of now, Southern Airways has not publicly responded to the claims detailed in Bode’s video.
The situation has sparked renewed discussion around airline accessibility policies and the obligations of carriers to provide accommodations for passengers with disabilities.
