We often come across several news where passengers do something bizarre and weird while travelling on a plane. Incidents like these are increasing a lot these days. But this time, we came across shocking news that left us in utter disappointment. A differently-abled passenger flying with Air Canada had to drag himself out of the aircraft with the help of his wife as the airline could not arrange a wheelchair for him.
A Disabled Passenger Was Forced To Get Off The Flight Without A Wheelchair Provided By Air Canada
The man who went through this terrifying experience is Rodney Hodgins. He and his wife, Deanna Hodgins, were travelling to Las Vegas to celebrate their anniversary back in the month of August. Rodney is a differently-abled man and he needs a wheelchair for going to one place from the other. After landing at their destination, the flight attendant informed the Hodgins couple that they wouldn’t be providing a wheelchair to him.
The reason was that there was not enough time to arrange a wheelchair for him to get off the plane as the flight was also about to depart so preparations had to take place, according to a report by The Guardian. The Hodgins couple assumed that the attendant was joking with them but later they got to know how there was no assistance from the airline to provide a wheelchair.
In a shocking turn of events and with no help from Air Canada, the man had to drag himself out to get off the flight. He somehow managed to push himself with all his upper body strength and passed a total of 12 seat rows. Only his wife was there who helped him to get off the plane by holding his legs. We can only imagine how horrible the couple felt while disembarking from the flight.
His Wife Shared Their Experiences On Facebook
After this traumatising experience with Air Canada, Deanna Hodgins took to Facebook to talk about the incident and let the world know about their interaction with Air Canada. She said how getting off the plane without a wheelchair not only hurt her and her husband’s back and legs but they were deeply hurt emotionally. She talked about how they had to struggle in front of other passengers on board.
Deanna described this incident saying, “My husband’s human rights were trampled on”. She also added how Air Canada did not respond or neither reach out to the couple.
She also shared how they have been planning their anniversary vacation for the past 8 months. They made sure to look into all the requirements properly but the airline failed them in this journey.
Also read: Catching An Air Canada Flight From DXB To Be Easier Now; Here’s How
On the other hand, Air Canada came forward and stated that the airline has apologised to Rodney Hodgins. Not just this, he was also offered compensation as he did not receive enough assistance after landing at the Las Vegas airport.
Have you travelled with Air Canada before? What do you think of this sensitive experience suffered by the couple?
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
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