• A partially deaf passenger is suing Frontier Airlines, claiming a gate attendant blocked them from catching their flight.
• Ivaylo Dodev could not understand the employee’s question through their mask, per the lawsuit.
• Dodev and his wife say they missed out on their vacation to celebrate her 55th birthday as a result.

A partially deaf passenger is suing Frontier Airlines, claiming he and his wife missed their flight after a gate agent blocked them from boarding.

Arizona residents Ivaylo and Nikolina Dodev were about to embark on a flight to the Dominican Republic from Phoenix to celebrate Nikolina’s birthday in 2022 when they were deliberately stopped from boarding their flight, according to the lawsuit filed in the district court of Arizona.

The suit claims that while trying to pay for their carry-on luggage, the couple were asked a question by a gate agent who was wearing a mask.

Ivaylo, who the lawsuit says is legally deaf in one ear, could not read the attendant’s lips through the mask and replied that he could not hear, after which the lawsuit claims the attendant’s attitude turned “pugilistic” and they accused Ivaylo of “insulting my mask.”

The couple, who are of Bulgarian descent, were then kept waiting and denied attempts to board the plane, even resorting to calling the police to try and get on the aircraft before it departed without them, per the lawsuit.

The suit claims that Frontier staff could not give them a legitimate reason for the denial of boarding and subsequently refused to book them a new flight. The lawsuit also includes a picture of the masked gate attendant taken by Ivaylo, alleging that they “could not conceal their sanctimonious smile.”

The two passengers ultimately missed Nikolina’s 55th birthday at an all-inclusive resort as a result of the incident, and are suing for discrimination and violation of US disability laws.

Frontier Airlines is known for its low-cost approach to flying, offering passengers cheap tickets in return for unbundled fairs and minimal services.

It is an approach that has attracted criticism from rivals, with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby warning that the likes of Frontier risk “going out of business” due to poor customer service and bad business strategy.

Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside normal working hours.