A disabled UK passenger had his “self-respect” shattered after he was reportedly booted from an easyJet flight before takeoff because he couldn’t walk to the lavatory.
“I’ve always been a happy-go-lucky chap but this has knocked me back a bit,” Barry Dobner, 79 told the Liverpool Echo.
The Brit, who has been wheelchair-bound since suffering from a stroke 18 years ago, hasn’t let his physical limitations stop him from traveling and has reportedly flown six times in his condition.
For his latest trip, Barry had planned to fly from Manchester to Athens, Greece on April 3 so he could celebrate his 80th 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day in the Mediterranean paradise with his wife Alison Dobner, 67, and friend Sheila.
“My self-respect had gone right down,” said Barry Dobner (pictured).Liverpool Echo
To prevent any snafus, the group arranged wheelchair-friendly transportation in Greece while Barry claims he informed easyJet that he was a wheelchair user when they’d booked their flight.
Despite their precautions, their trip was over before it began. The problems began shortly after boarding when a crewmember reportedly overheard that the traveler kept a portable urinal in his carry-on luggage.
“A stewardess walked by and she said ‘excuse me, do you have a urinal bottle?’” Barry recalled. “My wife said yes, in case of emergencies. She said ‘hang on a minute’. She came back and said ‘can your husband walk to the toilet’?”
When Alison replied that he could not, the flight attendant “said ‘you have to get off this plane,’” he recalled. “My wife asked why and they said ‘because he can’t walk to the toilet.’”
The whole group was subsequently ejected from the aircraft, after which they had to get picked up from an airport by a friend and driven home.
Barry (pictured with his wife Alison Dobner) had been wheelchair-bound ever since he suffered a stroke 18 years ago.Liverpool Echo
“The whole plane was standing up watching what was going on,” said Barry. “You can imagine how that made me feel. They knew I couldn’t walk when they put me on the plane.”
He added that the incident left him feeling like an “object,” explaining, “I’m not a person anymore. My self-respect had gone right down.”
EasyJet reportedly keeps an onboard wheelchair on every aircraft, noting that passengers must be able to transfer themselves into it, or with the aid of a companion.REUTERS
Alison found the whole situation particularly galling as they’d flown easyJet before without any problems. “To treat a disabled person like that was appalling, especially when they had all the information beforehand,” she said. “It’s just ludicrous. The other passengers were sitting there gobsmacked.”
The toll unfortunately wasn’t just emotional — Barry claims they’ve lost over £2,000 ($2,555) due to the missed flight.
“We don’t know if we’ll get the flight money back,” lamented the Brit, who alerted their vacation insurance providers and filed a complaint with the airline.
EasyJet has since addressed the incident in a statement.
“We are very sorry Mr and Mrs Dobner and their companion were unable to fly as planned with easyJet,” airline reps said. “We are in touch with Mr Dobner and his party to apologize for this error and to refund them in full for their flight and provide them with denied boarding compensation.”
They added that the carrier “carries around one million passengers requiring some form of assistance each year” and that their “research shows that 87% of easyJet passengers who require this are satisfied” with the services they provide.
EasyJet reportedly keeps an onboard wheelchair on every aircraft, noting that passengers must be able to transfer themselves into it, or with the aid of a companion, the Independent reported.
Meanwhile, crew members are permitted to help transport disabled flyers to and from the lavatory.
