Wheelchair-User Denied Passage on easyJet
Barry Dobner was looking forward to his birthday vacation in Greece with his wife and a friend. Sadly he never got further than the Manchester airport. Dobner, who is 79 years old, uses a wheelchair due to a stroke. And according to the Dobners, they informed easyJet of this when they made their booking.
And it all seemingly went well when they boarded their flight in Manchester, as Dobner received the required assistance to transfer to the aisle chair and then transfer to his aircraft seat. And then this wheelchair-user was denied passage on easyJet.
So how did the issue arise that led to him being deplaned? Well apparently either the flight attendant or a passenger overheard someone in Dobner’s party talking about a portable urinal that was stowed in a carry-on bag. Subsequently a flight attendant approached the Dobner party to question them about it; and his wife subsequently informed the flight attendant that yes, they were indeed carrying a portable urinal.
The flight attendant left, and then returned a few minutes later and asked if Mr. Dobner could walk to the toilet. When he replied that he couldn’t — remember he was boarded in an aisle chair — he was told that he would have to deplane.
So What Happened?
Why was this wheelchair-user denied passage on easyJet?
Well according to easyJet it was because he couldn’t get to the lavatory. Now granted they did have an aisle chair on board the aircraft, but according to easyJet, the flight attendants cannot assist with transfers inflight,. They can however push the aisle chair to the lavatory.
It’s unclear if the flight attendant ever asked Dobner if he could transfer unassisted to the aisle chair. Instead she asked if he could “walk to the bathroom”. And quite frankly those are two total different questions. Although Dobner could not walk to the bathroom, he may have been able to transfer to the aisle chair by himself, or with assistance from someone in his party. But apparently that question wasn’t asked.
Generally speaking most flight attendants don’t ask if you can walk to the bathroom if you board in an aisle chair. But apparently the discovery of the portable urinal escalated the issue, and prompted that discussion.
easyJet subsequently issued an apology to the Dobner party for the denied boarding, and then issued a full refund.
But that doesn’t erase the fact that this incident happened. easyJet has had a number of denied boarding incidents for disabled passengers over the years, so it certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for an airline. That said, if you do fly them, it’s a good idea to keep quiet about the portable urinal you may or may not be carrying.
Play it safe — mums the word, when it comes to a portable urinal. Especially on easyJet! And for more tips about flying with a wheelchair, visit www.EmergingHorizons.