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A wheelchair user had to be carried onto a Jetstar flight by his wife after being told Darwin Airport didn’t provide a ramp.
Brad Wszola said the incident made him feel like a “second-class citizen”, while his wife Jenny was later told by the airline that its status as a low fares carrier meant it could only provide “limited specific assistance” to passengers.
Jetstar eventually apologised and later said it had arranged for a ramp to be delivered to Darwin airport.
“Watching these people having to lift me, to bend down, Jen had to bend down below the level of the floor of the plane, bend over and grab the bottom of the aisle chair to lift me … That put myself at risk, also the staff at risk and Jenny at risk,” Brad Wszola said. “She was the one helping lift me into the plane.”
The incident took place at the gap between the air bridge and the aircraft when boarding the flight from Darwin to Cairns on 12 August.
After the flight, the airline did not bring his wheelchair to the air bridge, instead, they sent it to the baggage carousel to be picked up with the other passengers’ luggage.
Following this incident, Jenny Wszola wrote 26 emails to the airline and Darwin airport requesting that they provide ramps. Jetstar said in response, “Jetstar’s operational requirements as a low fares airline, together with our safety and other obligations as an airline, mean that Jetstar is only able to provide limited specific assistance to passengers, including to passengers requiring wheelchair assistance.”
Jenny admits that the response provided left her feeling furious especially considering there is always a ramp when the couple visit Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.
“Inclusion doesn’t have to be hard, it just needs to be there. It’s madness,” she said.
In an interview with ABC News, Brad Wszola said the whole process made him feel unsafe and that ramps are an inexpensive fix.
Jetstar provided a statement to the couple, apologising for the experience.
“We regularly review the support provided to customers requiring specific assistance, including those who use wheelchairs,” the airline said. “Jetstar has also arranged for a ramp to be delivered to Darwin Airport for use by ground handlers to provide a better boarding experience.”
Craig
says:People pay the lowest fare possible on an LCC, then expect ‘full service’.
It doesn’t occur to them that that isn’t what occurs with that type of airline, or the equipment needed for them, isn’t at an airport.
Staff of ANY airline are not permitted to handle passengers’ physically, hence his wife having to do so.
Maybe in future, they’ll make his specific needs known to an airline, well in advance of their travel.
If he’d done this, for the above flight, there wouldn’t have been a problem.
It behoves the passenger to advise the airline, in fact, eg wheelchair users’ MUST advise their carrier of wheelchair dimensions’ at time of booking.
Mark Loeffler
says:This is completely unacceptable Qantas Jetstar!
Read Alan Joyce