Marissa Bode is well-known for her role as Nessarose Thropp, Elphaba's sister and the Wicked Witch of the East in last year's Wicked.
Now, she's becoming well-known for her TikToks about travel gone wrong, and it seems some airlines haven't gotten the memo about accessibility. Bode has even joked on the platform that it's become a "space to complain" and "a space to s**t post" because of the bad luck she's had on various airlines due to poor accommodations and low accessibility standards.
Bode quipped:
"As long as airlines are s**ty, I'm going to continue to talk about it."
In this particular instance, her agent called ahead to book the flight, and had to go through Southern Airways, as it was the only airline with a flight into the town where Bode was booked for a speaking engagement in Pennsylvania. Her agent explained at the time of booking that Bode had a wheelchair, and the person booking the flights said that would not be an issue.
But when Bode got off of one flight and approached the Southern Airways gate for her connecting flight, she was stopped by the two gate-check flight attendants, who asked if she'd be able to stand and walk from her wheelchair.
When she said no, they refused to allow her to board the plane, because the passage to the plane only included stairs, not a ramp, and they were allegedly unprepared to accommodate her wheelchair.
You can watch the video here:
Fellow TikTokers side-eyed Southern, referencing this magical invention called a "ramp."
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Others applauded Bode for speaking up and reassured her that this was about her life, not "convenience."
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In a follow-up video, Bode further clarified that her agent did call ahead to book the flight and asked at that time if a wheelchair could be accommodated, and the person booking the flight assured him would not be an issue.
Further, Bode brought this up to the two flight attendants at the gate and even got her agent on the phone, who spoke to them about the arrangement, while both doubled down and called it "poor communication."
The gate agents also attempted to blame Bode's wheelchair for the situation, claiming that it would be too heavy, even though it's lighter than most suitcases, and too large, even though it folds to a compact size.
Fortunately, Bode did hear from the Director of Southern Airways, who was shocked by how the situation was handled. Still, apologies and financial compensation will not correct what happened; only improved accessibility will.
You can watch the follow-up video here:
Fellow TikTokers applauded Bode for using her platform to speak up about accessibility.
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There are still some spaces in the world that are more easily accessed by stairs, but in 2026, there is no excuse not to accommodate people however they need to travel. A temporary ramp would be an easy solution for Southern Airways, and people who use wheelchairs, strollers, and walkers, and even people who simply prefer a ramp to stairs, would all benefit from it.
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