Gillian Cloke, the mother of a disabled teenager, is calling for airlines to handle essential mobility aids with more care after easyJet lost her son’s wheelchair on a flight to Paris. Cloke spent hours trying to locate a replacement wheelchair after the airline failed to provide one. As a result, the family had to borrow wheelchairs at Paris landmarks and had to skip visits to the Louvre and Versailles. Her son, Michael, has a congenital heart condition which causes severe fatigue, making it difficult for him to walk long distances.
The family experienced immense stress and frustration when the wheelchair did not arrive at the airport and neither the airport nor easyJet personnel were able to assist. Cloke described the process of reporting the missing wheelchair as “Kafkaesque” and criticized the system for not being well-suited for wheelchairs. She received automated messages but no real help from customer service representatives. In her desperation, she even received scam messages asking for a fee to be reunited with the wheelchair. The story gained attention after she tweeted about the incident with the hashtag #rightsonflights, leading to an apology from easyJet and promises to locate the wheelchair.
This is not the first time such an incident has happened to Cloke’s family, as the wheelchair has been lost on previous flights. She believes there should be a dedicated space for mobility aids on planes to ensure their safe storage. She emphasized the need for airlines to be more creative in adapting spaces to accommodate mobility aids and prevent damage during transportation. Cloke wants to raise awareness on behalf of her son and other disabled passengers who have faced similar problems while traveling. EasyJet has expressed their understanding of the situation and is investigating the incident. They have also reached out to the family to apologize and offer assistance.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
