Wizz Air passenger sits in emergency exit row. Then flight attendants learn he is autistic and allegedly remove him: ‘This feels dehumanizing’

Sitting in the emergency exit row during flights comes with certain responsibilities, something Luke Grosch (@lukegrosch) was prepared to take on. However, he claims he was discriminated against after he was removed from his seat when flight attendants learned he was autistic.

“I will never fly with Wizz Air ever again, even if it’s the only flight available,” Grosch said in a video that has since garnered hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. According to Grosch, he was seated in the emergency exit row after flight attendants asked if he wanted the seat due to his height and whether he was capable of assisting in an emergency, to which he said yes.

The incident, however, began when a flight attendant returned and allegedly requested that Grosch remove his headphones. He said he told the flight attendant that he was autistic and needed his headphones on; otherwise, he would get overwhelmed during the journey.

Flight attendants allegedly can’t trust him because he’s autistic

Grosch said he was instructed to keep his headphones off at the beginning and end of the flight, a rule he had no problem complying with. But just as he was settled in his seat, the London-based content creator claimed the flight attendant returned with a colleague and told him he needed to move because he couldn’t sit in the emergency exit row.

“We can’t trust that you’re able to support in an emergency situation,” the flight attendants told Grosch, according to his account. When Grosch asked for the reason, he was allegedly told it was because he had disclosed that he was autistic.

“I’m autistic? I’m able to help in an emergency. What makes you think that I can’t?” Grosch asked, and claimed they continued to cite his autism as the reason. “I’m like, wait. This feels dehumanizing.”

Grosch eventually changed seats, not wanting to delay the flight. While he recognized that the flight attendants were simply following airline policy, he felt it was “flawed” and discriminatory. He insisted that airlines need to better understand the diverse needs of their passengers, especially when it comes to enforcing policies related to disability.

Emergency exit rows have requirements

While Grosch’s frustration is understandable, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has exit row policies that airlines under its jurisdiction must comply with. According to EASA, those in the exit row are expected to act quickly and make sound judgments based on their assessments during emergencies or evacuations when the flight crew is unable to.

With such responsibility, those seated in the exit row must meet certain requirements to be considered able to assist. EASA lists passengers with intellectual disability and reduced mobility as among those not suited for the emergency exit row. For this reason, EASA asks passengers “not to be offended” if they are asked to move from the exit row or seat.

Wizz Air’s seating policy states that passengers with special needs are prohibited from sitting in the emergency exit row. The airline also has the right to reassign seats for safety reasons.

Wizz Air responded to Grosch’s video in the comments section, suggesting that the incident may have just been a “misunderstanding” about the content creator’s “use of headphones.” They also reiterated their policy on seat reassignments.

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