Family's fury at grandma's ordeal at Coventry Airport
01.10.07
A family is furious at the way a disabled grandmother was treated by staff at Coventry Airport. They say staff refused to help 82-year-old Janetta Kubiak on to the plane, saying that they would only help if they had time. She got on the flight only thanks to the intervention of a good Samaritan travelling on the same plane.
Mrs Kubiak, a mother of four from Walsgrave, who has had two hip replacements and suffers with angina and arthritis, was flying to Barcelona to visit her son. Her daughter had telephoned Thomsonfly customer services to explain she could walk only a limited number of steps with sticks and relied on a wheelchair.
She booked assistance at both Coventry and Barcelona airports and was assured her mother would receive it if she brought her disabled badge and an official document outlining details of her disability.
However, when she arrived at the airport last Wednesday, the customer services desk said that the airport did not provide assistance for disabled passengers. A representative said that Coventry Airport 'was not the same as Birmingham or Heathrow and did not offer the same services because they did not have the manpower.'
Mrs. Kubiak was told, 'We do not have the staff, nor the time, to push people from A to B.' In the end the family approached another passenger and asked him to help her on to the plane.
An airport spokeswoman said: We apologise for any stress caused to Mrs Kubiak. Customer service is always a high priority at the airport. Until Mrs Kubiak returns from Barcelona and we are able to investigate the full facts we are unable to comment further.'
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