2023-05-04 18:18:49
A passenger on a Ryanair flight to Sweden, a man in a wheelchair was forced to crawl out of the aircraft due to lack of suitable equipment.
Adrian Keogh had planned everything. The 37-year-old Irishman, who is in a wheelchair, had requested special assistance when booking a Ryanair flight to Sweden, in order to be disembarked from the plane safely. However, the promised help was not given to him and the passenger was forced to crawl back to his chair after landing.
On his arrival at Gothenburg-Landvetter airport on Saturday April 29, Adrian Keogh learned that none of the lifts used to disembark people with disabilities were not available for at least an hour.
According to information from Irish examiner, the traveler, who urgently needed to use the toilet after about three hours of flight, could not consider waiting. “When you’re in a wheelchair, you can’t sit in seats like that for too long,” he explained. In my wheelchair, I have special cushions for my skin.”
“I asked a stewardess if it was OK to crawl, and she said, ‘you can if you want,’ Adrian Keogh continued. So, I crawled on the plane to the back door and jumped down the steps and came down on my butt. I wanted to go to the bathroom and sit on my chair”.
The Irishman, who was traveling with his family on the occasion of his daughter’s 14th birthday, believes he was “humiliated”. “I shouldn’t have to go through this. I want nothing more than the service I paid for and to be able to travel with dignity”.
“It’s very stressful for the body”
In a statement, Gothenburg-Landvetter airport said it “deeply regrets Mr. Keogh’s experience”, questioning the late takeoff of his plane. “The support service was delayed but in no way “forgotten”” justified the infrastructure, citing “longer waiting times and not up to par [du] usual level of service.
Ryanair has for its part rejected any responsibility, insisting on the fact that the special assistance within the Swedish airport is managed by a third party. However, the company said it was “working” with the infrastructure “to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Adrian Keogh took advantage of the incident to make the voices of people with disabilities heard. In particular, he explained that traveling in a wheelchair is already difficult when everything goes as planned. “You have to make plans and watch what you eat and drink, because you don’t want to have to go to the bathroom on the plane. It’s very stressful for the body.”
“People with disabilities, we need more thought of us,” he said, before encouraging affected travelers to “always ask” and “call ahead” to make sure “that everything’s good”. “You don’t want to find yourself in a vulnerable position.”
1683228032
#man #wheelchair #forced #crawl #Ryanair #plane