Australian Amputee Accuses Singapore Airlines of Discrimination During Flights

SINGAPORE: A 23-year-old Australian woman, Isabella Beale, has accused Singapore Airlines of discriminatory treatment on two separate flights—both while flying to Europe and on her return trip.

Ms. Beale, who is a congenital amputee missing her forearm, claimed that she was forced to move from her assigned seat in the emergency exit row on both journeys, despite not requiring any assistance to fly.

According to Singapore Airlines’ booking policies, passengers seated in the emergency exit row must not be pregnant, under the age of 15, traveling with babies, or in need of “special assistance.” Ms. Beale acknowledges the airline’s policies but takes issue with how she was treated by staff, particularly in front of other passengers.

On her initial flight, Ms. Beale recalled that a flight attendant abruptly told her to vacate her seat. “All of a sudden, an air hostess approaches me and, in quite a loud tone… says, ‘Get out, get out of that seat now, you need to get up,’” she said in an interview with ABC News Australia. She found the experience humiliating and was further distressed when told to switch seats with her partner, despite his presence in the same row.

The return flight was equally upsetting. Despite confirming at check-in that she could sit in the emergency exit row, she was again asked to move. Ms. Beale described how the situation was handled insensitively, with the cabin manager pointing to her limb and repeatedly saying, “The problem’s obvious.” She felt humiliated, especially as this happened in front of the entire flight.

In response to the incident, Singapore Airlines issued an apology to Ms. Beale, refunded the additional fees for the exit row seats, and confirmed that the cabin crew involved received further customer service training. The airline reiterated its stance against discrimination, stating that safety regulations prohibit passengers with disabilities from sitting in emergency exit rows, as required by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).

Ms. Beale emphasized that her complaint was less about the policy and more about how she was treated, saying, “I need you to treat me like a human being.”