The Australian carrier Jetstar Airways came under fire when a disabled passenger opted to crawl off the aircraft after the flight attendants refused to give her a wheelchair. Natalie Curtis, who was flying from Townsville, Queensland, to Bangkok, told Channel 7 that she had to crawl off of the plane after being asked to pay for the wheelchair service.
She told the news organisation, ‘When we landed, (staff) were asking us to really pay, and I didn’t really understand it, and I was like, ‘No, I’m not paying to be able to get off this plane. They all just sat around for a while and the option that was left was for me to get on the floor and crawl’.
The woman was seen slowly crawling out of the plane after having an argument with the staff involved in the in-fight, according to recordings captured by Natasha Elford, Curtis’ travelling companion.
‘I simply felt so bad for Natalie… I was feeling so helpless and thought, I simply can’t believe this is actually happening,’ Elford recalled. ‘Staff clearly tried to offer to raise and carry Curtis, but if they dropped her, that (would) have been) ten times worse’.
The wheelchair was not available at this time, and Curtis was not willing to wait while the airline worked to arrange for one, according to Jetstar, which refuted the claims. The wheelchair was stored on the opposite side of the aircraft from Curtis while she carried her own.
According to Channel 7, the corporate representative stated, ‘Unfortunately, this was not the case for Ms. Curtis due to a miscommunication that delayed the availability of an aisle chair at the gate upon arrival. We are investigating into what transpired as a matter of urgency.’
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