It hurts to see people being unkind to others, especially those who truly are in need. Recently, a disabled woman had to experience a horrible incident while flying with Jetstar and all we can wish is no one ever has to go through something like this. Natalie Curtis from Australia faced an unpleasant and unforgettable experience while flying to Bangkok. Read on to know the whole story.
Disabled Woman Forced To Crawl Off Plane After Being Denied A Free Wheelchair
Natalie’s flight was to Bangkok from Townsville with Singapore as the transit point in between. While boarding the flight from Singapore, Natalie was provided with a free wheelchair and the situation was under control until the flight reached its destination, Thailand. While getting off the flight, the low-cost airline did not provide Natalie with a wheelchair. Instead, the disabled woman was asked to pay to use the wheelchair this time. She was shocked to hear that she will need to pay to access a wheelchair to get off the plane.
Disabled woman had to crawl on flight. https://t.co/cUIi83QTzG @billshortenmp @Virginia_Hauss @DavidPocock @PWDAustralia @CatherineKingMP @BenGauntlettDDC @LionHermit @AnnastaciaMP
— Invisible Disabilities Australia (@InvisibleDisab3) October 31, 2022
Also read: IndiGo At Fault For Not Allowing Disabled Child To Board Flight: DGCA
Natalie had to choose to crawl and drag herself out of the aisle. Unfortunately, she dragged herself for about 4 metres till she could reach her wheelchair.
It Was A Dreadful Journey!
Natalie’s friend Natasha Elford was with her during this incident and she recorded everything when Natalie had to crawl in the aisle to get off the plane. Natasha was helpless and could not support her friend to carry her outside because she was experiencing a knee injury. The knee injury made it impossible for her to provide enough physical support to Natalie.
A YouTube channel new.com.au uploaded the video and narrated the whole story in short sentences. The video states that Natasha refused to pay as this was the first time when any airline asked her to pay for a wheelchair.
Also read: 6 Disabled-Friendly Cities in India That Are Accessible To All Travellers
There may have been a miscommunication because of a language barrier between the airline crew and Natalie. Still, seeing someone crawling on the ground and offering no help cannot be accepted. In fact, the crew was informed that a wheelchair was unavailable after the flight landed in Bangkok.
Jetstar Airlines apologised to Natalie and gave her a refund too along with other reimbursements. Well, Natalie is in no mood to fly with Jetstar ever again.
Cover Image Courtesy: Youtube/ news.com.au