Disabled man stuck on plane for an hour and a half after staff loses his wheelchair
In a series of tweets, journalist Frank Gardner said staff at Heathrow Airport in London lost his wheelchair Saturday morning as he was returning from Ethiopia. The tweets prompted an outcry, with some sharing similar experiences they had while traveling.
Garder writes that he is “so utterly sick” of Heathrow airport ground staff “losing” his wheelchair. He goes on to share that he had been stuck waiting on the plane for more than an hour at that point.
I am so utterly sick of @HeathrowAirport ground staff ‘losing’ my wheelchair. Over 70 mins after landing back from Ethiopia I’m still stuck on an empty plane while they try to find it Just when is UK’s premier airport going to stop treating disabled passengers this way? pic.twitter.com/f84wXCgXKB
— Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) March 24, 2018
What’s even more worrisome is the fact that this isn’t the first time it has happened, and apparently it has only happened at Heathrow. In his second tweet, he shares that he’s been sitting “on an empty plane 1.5 hours after landing.”
Odd that I can travel round the Middle East and elsewhere without a hitch. Yet time and again @HeathrowAirport loses my wheelchair on arrival. Now been on an empty plane 1.5 hours after landing. Believe me, I’m as bored of writing this as you are of reading it. pic.twitter.com/ZKQLFmGOIF
— Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) March 24, 2018
Finally off after 100 minutes
— Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) March 24, 2018
Not surprisingly, Gardner’s followers and others on Twitter were upset to hear about how he was being treated and shared their dismay.
It’s 2018, disabled passengers should never be treated like this. @HeathrowAirport must sort this out.
— Miles Holder (@MilesHolderUK) March 24, 2018
That sounds really shit. Genuine question – what is the procedure for wheelchairs on flights? Do they have to be stored in the hold? Is it the airport’s fault or the airline or both?
— James Pearce (@jamespearce87) March 24, 2018
Others shared their experiences with airlines and airports treating differently abled passengers poorly. One had lost his wheelchair; one person was stuck in the window seat when a wheelchair went missing for the passenger next to him, and another shared a story about their elderly parent being pushed through an airport by a porter who wasn’t strong enough.
A young man in my village had his wheelchair destroyed when his costly chair, which provided for his independence & was specially tailored, was placed atop a trolley with no restraint – from which it fell & was smashed. C’mon airlines – wake up!
— Bonnie Evans-Hills (@EvansHills) March 24, 2018
Same happened for disabled gentleman on my flight back from Beirut. I was by the window and trapped with him till finally disembarked. And he was apologising to me?! Appalling disregard for disabled passengers institutionalised at Heathrow. This needs fixed. Now.
— Neil Graham (@NeilGraham10) March 24, 2018
Sorry to hear this. Same goes for ill/elderly passengers who need a wheelchair within the airport. My parent was embarassed having their wheelchair rolled by a girl who was probably only 18 and she was struggling so much to push it we felt bad for her and just told her to go.
— me (@applexpear) March 24, 2018
Finally, the airport’s official account tweeted an apology, but Gardner reiterated that the problems keep happening, and Heathrow keeps apologizing, but nothing changes.
Hi Frank, we are really sorry to hear that. Are you able to DM us with further information?
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) March 24, 2018
Apology not accepted. You do this nearly every time. You ‘create a case number’ then it happens again the next time. This casual disregard for disabled passengers is a disgrace to British airports. LHR2 flight ET700 from Addis Ababa.
— Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) March 24, 2018
According to Heathrow’s website, “Heathrow is responsible for providing special assistance at the airport.” In a section specifically for those flying with mobility issues, the site says, “If you need help getting from your seat, we’ll use an aisle chair to wheel you to the aircraft door. And if you’re traveling with your own wheelchair, we’ll bring it to the door ready for use as soon as you leave the aircraft.”
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