Woman with heart condition returning home from daughter's funeral kicked off plane for bringing an oxygen tank on board without a doctor's note

A female passenger returning home from attending her daughter's funeral was kicked off a plane for bringing an oxygen tank on board for her heart condition.

Mary Walker, and her husband James, were flying out of Orlando Sanford International Airport with Allegiant Air when they were forced to return to the terminal.

Mrs Walker had taken an oxygen tank on board the budget airline flight that she had rented, as a precaution for a heart condition. 

Couple removed from flight because of woman's oxygen tank

Cabin crew were videoed telling the couple that the oxygen tank was not permitted on board

However, the couple allege they were forced to get out of their seats and leave the plane after they were told they needed a doctor's note for the equipment. 

Speaking to Channel 9 broadcast news, Mrs Walker said: 'It's like you're a criminal or something like that.'

A fellow passenger recorded the incident on his mobile phone, and the cabin crew can be seen taking the device from the couple apparently due to them not having the correct paperwork.

Because the airline only flies twice a week from Orlando Sandford to Columbus, the Ohio-based couple now have to wait until Sunday to return home.

Mrs Walker was advised that to carry the oxygen tank on board, she needed a doctor's letter

The oxygen tank was removed, and soon after Mr and Mrs Walker were escorted off the plane

They were visiting central Florida to attend the funeral of their daughter. 

'It's an inconvenience and it's costing me more money because of their stupidity,' James Walker told Channel 9.

Allegiant released a statement stating that for such equipment, a doctor's form must be shown, to verify that the machine has been fully tested and is safe to operate.

MailOnline Travel has contacted Allegiant Air and is awaiting a further response.

Just last month Elizabeth Sedway, who is battling cancer, was kicked off a plane after not having a doctor's note

Last month a married mother of two battling cancer was ejected from an Alaska Airlines flight from Hawaii to California along with her family because she lacked a doctor's note clearing her to fly.

Elizabeth Sedway, 51, from Granite Hill, California, posted an emotional video on her Facebook page days later showing her family being kicked off a packed plane.

Mrs Sedway, who suffers from multiple myeloma - a rare form of plasma cancer - detailed her ordeal in a status update accompanying the short video.

In the message, the mother of two explained that she was sitting in the handicapped section of a boarding area at Lihue Airport on Kauai when an Alaska Airlines representative noticed she had put on a surgical mask to shield herself from germs and came up to her asking if she needed anything.

Mrs Sedway initially said she was fine, but when the airline employee approached her a second time, she indicated that she might require a little extra time to board the plane because she sometimes felt 'weak.'

The Sedway family eventually boarded the plane and were awaiting take-off in their seats when an airline representative came on board and announced that the cancer-stricken passenger could not fly without a note from her doctor.

Cancer-stricken woman kicked off plane for 'no note to fly'

In Sedway's video, her husband dressed in a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt is seen removing their carry-on luggage and helping their sons out of their seats while his wife narrates their removal from the flight.

'All these people are waiting, and I am being removed as if I'm a criminal or contagious because I have cancer,' she says.

'My family is being forcibly removed from an airplane because I have cancer and no note to fly.'

As the family of four walk towards the exit, Elizabeth Sedway breaks down and tearfully apologizes for holding everyone up. One of the passengers tells the woman, 'God bless you.'

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told CBS San Francisco that the company apologized to Elizabeth Sedway for the inconvenience and for the way its employees handled the situation.

‘Her family’s tickets have been refunded and we will cover the cost of her family’s overnight accommodations in Lihue,’ Alaska spokeswoman Halley Knigge stated. ‘While our employee had the customer’s well-being in mind, the situation could have been handled differently.’ 

Mrs Sedway's ordeal on board the Alaska Airlines flight was shared on social networks