Disabled passenger may take legal action against BA
08.09.08
A disabled man is considering legal action against British Airways after claiming he had to ‘beg’ for his wheelchair from the pilot of a plane bound for Aberdeen Airport, the Press & Journal reports.
Greg Smith accused BA of ‘incompetence’ after getting into a row with airline staff as he prepared to disembark from a flight. The 31-year-old, of Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, had arrived in Aberdeen on a flight from Brussels via Heathrow. He told the newspaper his own wheelchair, which was tagged ‘deliver to aircraft’, should have been ready as he left the BA plane with the aid of a lift platform. Instead the former financial analyst’s chair had been sent to the baggage carousel in the main terminal at the airport.
He said: ‘I had beg for my wheelchair. The pilot threatened to carry me off the plane. He was insisting I should be pushed through the airport to the baggage carousel to collect my wheelchair. My wheelchair is my legs and I’m a very independent person so I’m not willing to be pushed through an airport when I’m quite capable of doing it myself.’
Mr Smith, who has used a wheelchair since a motorbike accident two years ago, said he had a longstanding issue with the airline which had in the past sent him 10 letters of apology and £500 worth of BA vouchers. In the end Mr Smith’s wheelchair was taken from the carousel to the plane.
He has now contacted his lawyer about taking legal steps against BA. A spokesman for British Airways told the newspaper that the complaint was being considered but was unable to comment on the matter.
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