'They failed their duty': Paraplegic man slams Ryanair for not providing him assistance forcing him to drag himself into coach
TIVERTON, SOUTH DEVON: A paraplegic man reportedly slammed Ryanair after he was denied special assistance, resulting in him having to crawl up the stairs of a coach. The alleged incident with Spencer Watts reportedly happened on February 17 when he was returning home from a vacation in Lanzarote. He had taken a flight to Bristol but it was sent to Birmingham instead.
Upon arrival, the 27-year-old from Tiverton, South Devon, was reportedly told that help had been organized for him but in reality, no one was there to assist him. Watts then went to the desk to complain about it but he was reportedly told that the cabin crew of Ryanair had not informed the ground handler about his condition, The Daily Mail reported.
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‘I [felt] so embarrassed and humiliated’
As a result, the father-of-two had to help himself. He reportedly used his hands and arms to drag himself inside the coach while his co-flyers watched. Recalling the incident, Watts reportedly said, “My assistance at the airport had been booked a month in advance. They were fully aware that there was someone on that aircraft in a wheelchair that needed assistance on and off the aeroplane," adding, “I was left with no option but to bum shuffle onto a coach. I [felt] so embarrassed and humiliated in terms of having to do that in a crowded audience of people. Pressure sores are a big thing for us.”
‘It was a concern for my whole family'
Speaking about his harrowing ordeal, the sales adviser said, “Being put in that kind of situation, where I have to shuffle across a bare floor, there's obviously a very high risk of me getting a pressure sore and becoming bedbound for at least a few months. It's not a good thing. It's not exactly a comfortable maneuver for me to have to drag myself along the floor.”
“Not only am I in a wheelchair, but the son I was with is also severely autistic, so change is a massive thing for him. And when he's seeing his dad bum shuffling on a coach, a child worries about the fears of anything could happen. So he's like, 'Dad, what if there's a fire on this coach, how are you going to get off? It was a concern for my whole family, it wasn't just me,” Watts continued.
Watts added, “The upset, and the uproar for my family, all of us, wasn't needed and could have been avoided really easily. I would not fly with Ryanair again until I get an apology from them. They failed their duty of care.”
‘Special assistance at Birmingham Airport is managed by a third-party provider’
A spokesperson for Ryanair airline has reportedly spoken up after the incident. They said, “This flight from Alicante to Bristol diverted to Birmingham due to adverse weather conditions at Bristol Airport. Special assistance at Birmingham Airport is managed by a third-party provider - not Ryanair.”
“As the flight was not planned to arrive at Birmingham Airport, special assistance at Birmingham Airport had not been pre-arranged, however, the crew of this flight requested special assistance upon arrival at Birmingham Airport, which the provider at Birmingham Airport failed to provide,” the spokesperson added.