Disabled Passenger Allegedly Denied Help At Airport For Not Looking 'Ill Enough'
A disabled passenger was allegedly refused help by airport staff that informed her that she "didn't look disabled." Nathalie Allport Grantham said had requested a wheelchair ahead of her Dec. 30 flight to get her to the gate and assistance with carrying her luggage onto the aircraft, but the woman was told that she was "wasting their time" by seeking aid.
The 23-year-old deemed staff at the London Stansted Airport "disgusting" after they allegedly refused to provide assistance with her travel needs, the Independent reported. Allport-Grantham suffers Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a chronic disorder that affects one's connective tissue.
While her disabilities aren't visible, she said, the condition requires her to sometimes use a wheelchair.
Allport-Grantham reportedly requested wheelchair assistance when purchasing a ticket Nov. 5 for a flight with Ryanair instead of boarding with her own. Although she made the arrangements through Ryanair, the airports are tasked with fulfilling the requests through Omniserv, an external provider that claims to be "a people company" on its website.
The woman was given a wheelchair upon her early arrival, which her boyfriend — who was set to fly with her — pushed to a lounge area on the way to the gate. Shortly after she moved from the wheelchair to a lounge seat, she claimed the wheelchair was taken by an airport worker that guaranteed they'd return it. The male staffer never returned, which caused Allport-Grantham to walk to the Ryanair gate five minutes away. She then saw two other wheelchair fliers waiting before the gate, however.
"I told the lady on duty that I had booked special assistance and needed help with my bags and to get onto the aircraft," Allport-Grantham told the Independent. "She looked at me and said, 'If you want someone to carry your bags, you have to pay £50.' I told her I had pre-booked disability assistance and I need help getting onto the aircraft."
"She said, 'I'm actually waiting for someone who cannot walk, if you want to get on the plane I suggest you queue up like everyone else. If you don’t want to carry your bag, it's £50 to have it put in the hold," Allport-Grantham continued.
Allport-Grantham was the passenger that the worker was referring to, however. She had assumed the employee was waiting for someone that appeared to be more disabled. The staffer apparently said in a loud tone thereafter, "'I've got disabled people to help and you are wasting their time,'" according to the Independent.
Ryanair offers a wide range of options for disabled fliers provided they request the service in advance online. Therefore, the airport is required to accommodate the special assistance request as long as the passenger follows the seemingly simple guidelines set by Ryanair.
"In order for the airport to effectively provide pre-booked special assistance, passengers must present themselves at the airport special assistance desk 2 hours before their flight departure time," the airline's website read. "Passengers with pre-booked assistance requirements should arrive at the boarding gate at least 30 minutes prior to the flight departure."
Allport-Grantham said on Twitter that she still hasn't heard back from Ryanair and Stansted Airport's customer service following her apparent incident.
"You must educate your staff," Allport-Grantham wrote in a tweet. "I don't want anyone else with an invisible illness to go through what I went through yesterday."
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.