Why is flying such a nightmare these days? From safety concerns to chronically canceled flights, the public has lost nearly all confidence in the airline industry.
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 theThe 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.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.Real ID deadline is just one month away — here's what travelers need to knowDespite 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.“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.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 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.“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,Florida star makes shocking move toward emotional opponent who missed chance at last-second win Luxury cars, watches, toys not being shipped to US over tariffs — here are some of the brands being held backBig savings on better sleep! 21 mattress sales you can’t miss this month — save up to $1,00049 thoughtful gift ideas for women who already have everything Donald Trump Jr. and girlfriend Bettina Anderson can’t keep their hands off each other during LIV Golf Miami outingLiverpool Echo 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.
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