A handicapped lady who had to drag herself down the aisle of an aircraft to use the restroom has posted a video of the frightening incident.
Jennie Berry, a citizen of the UK, was scheduled to travel with TUI UK from London to Athens, but the airline switched her to one of its sibling airlines, Alba Star Airlines.
She was unable to climb up and down by herself since the Boeing aircraft used by the Spanish business were not wheelchair-accessible and did not have an aisle chair available for her.
Ms. Berry, who is paralysed from the waist down, was informed mid-flight that in order to use the restroom, she would have to drag herself across the floor.
Berry said on Instagram, “The trip became worse as, while in the air, I wanted to go to the bathroom, and they simply stated, “No, we don’t have an aisle chair aboard,” with no options as to what I was to do.
Apparently, asking handicapped individuals to relieve themselves in their chairs is their preferred approach. I hope there are no leaks as a consequence of that solution.
Although it would have greatly alleviated the situation, airline officials informed Ms. Berry that “there was no chance” of seating anywhere near the front of the aircraft.
She alleges that staff members instructed her to “wear nappies on board.”
She was instead compelled to pull herself down the aisle on her back using the power of her own upper body.
As Ms. Berry made her way up the aircraft, other passengers could be heard cheering her on.
She claimed, “Staff were straining and puffing as I held up their crucial drinks cart.”
“When you have to go, you have to go.”
Ms. Berry said that she had never taken a trip without an aisle seat.
Due to a lack of equipment, her boyfriend Owen, who was filming the incident, had to assist her onto the toilet.
Without such video evidence, handicapped persons “just aren’t believed,” according to Ms. Berry.
I’ve just discussed how to go to the bathroom; not the toilet itself. Many persons with disabilities are unable to transition into the tiny restrooms, even if there is an aisle chair.
A family offered Ms. Berry their seats near the front of the aircraft as she emerged from the restroom, but the wheelchair-bound lady objected, saying it shouldn’t have come to that.
“Unfortunately, this was one of those instances. Life as a handicapped person can sometimes be plain nasty and unpleasant,” she remarked.
I was ashamed to hear to my face that they are okay with the policy and that I should wear a diaper even when I don’t need to.
There is still much work to be done when it comes to accessibility within the travel industry, and I simply hope and pray that this serves as a reminder of why attitudes must change in addition to access.
Since many people with disabilities wouldn’t have had the power or capacity to pull themselves across the aisle in the same way, Ms. Berry is pleading with airlines to amend their policies for people with disabilities.
Since then, Albastar has apologised on Instagram.
The statement stated, “Our first priority is the safety and comfort of all our passengers on each and every trip we fly.”
To make sure that this singular incidence doesn’t occur again on any of our planes, “We are trying to investigate the situation.”
Spanish airline Albastar specialises in connecting minor European airports.