The parents of a 22-year-old man claimed their son was kicked off a non-stop Southwest Airlines flight to Chicago because he has autism.

Nick Andrews said he was removed from a non-stop Southwest Airlines flight from Portland to Chicago after explaining the mechanics of jet planes to nearby passengers.

“Just told me, ‘Sir, we’re going to need you to step off the plane,’” said Andrews. “I think they may have been scared of me.”

Because of Andrews’ autism, he fixates on things such as airplanes and loves to talk about them.

“I focus on lots of things like carpet cleaners, power engines and jetliners,” Andrews said.

The family claimed that after they put Andrews on the plane to Chicago and made sure he was safe, employees removed him and placed him on connecting flights from Portland to Oakland to Ontario to Phoenix, and finally to Chicago.

A flight that was supposed to take a few hours took 12.

“We had no idea for several hours where he was. He could’ve ended up anywhere in America,” said Andrews’ dad, Dixon.

Southwest Airlines issued a statement, saying, “We deeply regret the inconvenience Nicholas suffered. It appears our flight attendants and employees working at the departure gate were unaware that Nicholas has autism. Without knowing the reason for Nicholas' behavior, our employees had no choice except to make the best decision possible with the information available.”

The family said they are asking for a formal apology from the airlines.