‘Mind-blowing’: B.C. mother believes WestJet profiled her due to her tattoos

A BC mother is speaking out about an experience she had with WestJet in hopes it won’t happen to another family.

Brittney Draper traveled from Vancouver to Terrace on July 7 because her six-year-old son, Israel James, underwent reconstructive eye surgery at BC Children’s Hospital.

They were traveling home on WestJet with Hope Air and upon boarding Draper said he informed the crew that Israel had just undergone reconstructive surgery and that he needed to be taken off the plane.

“It was very scary because it was his first procedure,” Draper told Global News.

But to his surprise, when they arrived at the Terrace, there were policemen waiting for them on the tarmac.

It turns out, the cabin crew informed the police and airport management out of concern for Israel’s safety.

“If they had concerns, they would have let me know, and I would have given them the documentation they needed,” Draper said.

“I have the papers. If they have concerns, they should ask first. “

Draper said that the two policemen interrogated him and gave them the papers to prove that his son had recently been operated on.

“My heart sank when I got off the plane, because I was like, really?” he said. “I said, am I under arrest? Like, what the heck is going on now? It was just confusing.”

Draper said the police eventually released him but he believes he was profiled because of his tattoos.

“A lot of people profile me because of my tattoos, they just think I’m a bad influence or a bad person,” she said. “I’m just saying, that doesn’t make you a bad person because you have tattoos.”

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In a statement, WestJet said it sincerely apologizes for Draper’s and her son’s experience.

“WestJet cabin crew are trained to ensure the safety of everyone aboard our aircraft, and to be aware of guest welfare issues,” the statement read. “Out of an abundance of caution and care, they followed WestJet’s flight crew consultation and corporate security procedures.

“Due to guest privacy protections, our cabin crew was unaware that Brittney and her family were traveling after surgery as you stated. This incident alerted us to the opportunity and need to address how to be more supportive at WestJet our guests traveling through our community partners We have reached out to Hope Air and will take additional actions to connect with Brittney to address her experience.

Draper said he knew there were protocols for airline crew members and he filed a formal complaint but said people shouldn’t be judged by how they look or act.

“I just want other people to know that things like that happen,” he said. “It’s going to be a big shock, but it’s going to happen.”

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