COUPEVILLE, Wash. - Instead of sightseeing on a ferry, 7-year-old Giovanni, his mom, Christina Fabian, and dad, George Alvarado should have already boarded a flight.
"We were on [Allegiant] Flight 171," said Fabian.
But the trip from Bellingham back home to Phoenix was interrupted by Giovanni's allergic reaction.
"He began to get very itchy and he was scratching all over. He started to get hives, so we informed the flight attendant who informed us that there's dogs on every flight (...) which minimized his experience for me," said Fabian.
Allegiant airline spokeswoman Kim Schaefer said the allergic reaction was caused by a service animal on board the flight.
The allergic reaction delayed take off, and after flight attendants consulted with the airline's on-call doctor, the family was asked to leave the plane, according to Schaefer.
"We understood. They helped us off the plane, but as we gathered our stuff the people toward the back of the plane clapped," said Fabian.
Giovanni's feelings were crushed by the clapping.
"People who don't have sadness, they don't understand," he said.
Allegiant airline spokeswoman Kim Schaefer said the airline "stands by the decision to remove this passenger from [the] aircraft to ensure his safety."
What passengers on the flight didn't know is the trip to Bellingham was on a bucket list. It was a chance to visit family for a very important reason.
"My dad is sick with stage four throat cancer," said Giovanni.
Alvarado's cancer is terminal and with time running out, the trip was supposed to be a special one.
"To make memories, and I am sad that this has to be a memory with my dad," said Giovanni.
Alvarado said he couldn't believe that people were responding to the incident that way.
"As a dad, I was just hopeless right there. I just looked at the people clapping. I was just shaking my head; I was like man lets get out of here," said Alvarado.
As the family waits for the next flight, they try to turn something terrible into a teaching moment
"You don't know how much time people have or why they are hurting. Just be nice. Be kind," said Alvarado.
Schaefer said the airline worked with the family to get them on another flight and said the company is "sorry for the circumstances under which this family was traveling."
