American Airlines is at the center of scrutiny yet again, and this time, it was after a Black couple claimed they weren’t allowed to gate-check their daughter’s 4-year-old’s stroller. In contrast, white families on the same flight were allowed to check in strollers without issues.
The mother at the heart of the story, @nneomastorm, a TikTok user, reported the July 12 incident in detail, which has since caused an uproar on social media. She talked about how three white American Airlines staff brushed aside her cries, did not bother looking at her child’s medical records, and rudely asked, “Can’t you carry your own child?” in a now-viral video.
Yes, technically, she could. But it involved giving up the respect of her family.
Two little ones, one of whom is disabled and can’t walk without assistance in public, were going somewhere with the mother and the man she married. After being denied a chance to gate-check the stroller, the parents had to carry both of their kids through TSA in the wee hours of the morning while seeing white families in the very same line pass with their strollers untouched.
“We begged. We showed proof other airlines had allowed it. Meanwhile, white families with strollers? Waved through. No issue. Same stroller. Different treatment,” she wrote on TikTok.
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Their stroller was given back broken and missing parts after being forcefully checked into their baggage when they landed. According to the parents, this was far more than just poor service. Their rights (and potentially the law) were violated.
Using hashtags like #FlyingWhileBlack, #SpecialNeedsDeserveRespect, and #AmericanAirlinesExposed, the incident has brought about a rising tide of online outrage. What particularly struck viewers was the lack of empathy shown by the American Airlines agents. “No empathy. No compromise. Just refusal,” Nneomastorm said in her video, clearly shaken.
Later, she pointed out that strollers that serve as assistive devices for travelers with disabilities must be taken into account, not ignored, in keeping with the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).
Airlines permit assistive devices (which include strollers for children with disabilities) to be transported into the cabin at no extra cost and not counted against baggage limits under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights.
BIG NEWS:
Delta has introduced a design that will allow disabled passengers to remain in their wheelchairs onboard.
This is significant because in 2022 alone, airlines in the U.S. mishandled 11,389 wheelchairs. pic.twitter.com/69jzEz80jS
— Leah Goodridge (@leahfrombklyn) June 3, 2023
She presented prior gate-check tags from other flights in her July 18 follow-up TikTok post, confirming that the exact stroller had previously been passed as a mobility aid.
“But what broke us wasn’t just the grueling walk through TSA with heavy children in our arms,” she said. “It was watching (…) as white families in the same line were allowed to keep their stroller. (…) The only difference is the color of our skin.”
As of the time of this writing, the airline has still not officially responded to this incident of what seems like racial profiling, as per Atlanta Black Star.
However, the internet is still talking despite American Airlines’ silence. Outraged parents, disability advocates, and civil rights supporters have left thousands of views and comments on Nneomastorm’s videos.
She wrote, “I’m not just carrying my child anymore.” “I’m carrying a movement.”
🚨**OUTRAGEOUS**: American Airlines accused of discrimination for denying gate-check of mobility stroller for disabled Black child, while … https://t.co/ipiEMDe72s
— Atlanta Black Star (@ATLBlackStar) August 7, 2025
A lot of people want federal and legal watchdogs to look into the airline’s actions. She also demanded accountability from the U.S. Department of Transportation and civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
“This is a warning,” she declared. “American Airlines didn’t just inconvenience us; they humiliated us.”
