EVA Air has apologized and called the incident a misunderstanding.
A gay couple was told only one of them could board a flight with their 19-month-old child, while straight families were allowed to remain together, leaving them confused and “very disappointed.”
Jeff Cobb and his husband were traveling from San Francisco to Taipei with their daughter on EVA Air, and when Cobb inquired about early boarding for families he was told that only one of the men could get on the plane early while the other would need to wait and board separately.
He explained that both he and his husband were the father of the child, to make sure there hadn’t been any confusion. But he was again told that was the airline’s policy, he told The Points Guy.
However, after Cobb’s husband watched a number of straight couples board with their children all together they asked a flight attendant what the policy was, and were told that usually families board together. The flight attendant reportedly told the couple they didn’t know why they had been told otherwise.
Cobb took to Twitter to voice his upset.
@EVAAirUS 1/3 My husband and I were told only one of us could join our 19 month old in the family boarding group of EVA Air 27 from SFO on 9/1/18. I explained we were both the fathers of the child, and they said it was their policy that only one parent can board…
— Jeff (@jeffcobb415) September 2, 2018
@EVAAirUS 2/3 and the other has to wait in the normal line. Not having flown EVA before, I accepted it and let my husband and child go while I boarded later. When I met him on the plane, he said there were many other (straight) families all boarding together.
— Jeff (@jeffcobb415) September 2, 2018
@EVAAirUS 3/3 I’m very disappointed that the EVA ground staff at SFO thinks it’s ok to separate same-sex families during boarding. I will definitely not be flying this airline again after this incident.
— Jeff (@jeffcobb415) September 2, 2018
When they landed in Taipei for their connecting flight, also on EVA Air, to their final destination in Thailand, Cobb, his spouse, and their daughter were allowed to board together without incident.
A spokesperson for the airline has said the incident occurred due to a misunderstanding, and has apologized.
“EVA Air and most especially our San Francisco International Airport team sincerely apologize to all the passengers affected by this incident,” the spokesperson said.
“It is our policy that passengers traveling with infants can have priority boarding. The policy does not limit the number of accompanying adults or specify the relationship to the infant. This unfortunate incident was due to misunderstanding. Our San Francisco ground-handling agent understood that only one parent could board with an infant. We have apologized to our passengers and reminded our airport staff and agents about our priority boarding policy so that we can prevent this kind of incident from happening again.”
Related:
Gay Dads’ Adorable In-Flight Letter To Fellow Passengers About Their Newborn Goes Viral
