‘I have never felt so degraded in my life’
An Australian passenger was forced to crawl off a plane after cabin crew refused to give her a wheelchair unless she paid.
Natalie Curtis was on a Jetstar flight to Thailand but was left humiliated after she was forced to crawl off the plane, claiming staff wouldn’t get her a wheelchair unless she paid extra.
She said she was offered a special wheelchair that fits in plane aisles when boarding her flight from Singapore to Bangkok.
But when she landed in Bangkok with her friend Natasha Elford and required the same service, she claims she was told she would need to pay if she wanted to be wheeled off the plane.
Her friend was unable to carry her due to an injured knee, and footage showed Natalie having to crawl her way off the aircraft.
In a post to a the Facebook group ‘Why we hate Jetstar’ she explained her ordeal, saying she had “never felt so degraded” in her life.
Speaking to Australian television on Monday morning she said: “I didn’t really comprehend it (being charged for the wheelchair) and I was like, ‘No, I’m not paying to be able to get off this plane.
“It was extremely humiliating.”
The Queensland resident has been in a wheelchair since she was in high school.
Natasha said she felt “hopeless” watching her friend during the ordeal and that staff “stood around and watched and didn’t really do anything.”
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=489576696449613
The airline has since apologised for the incident and has offered Natalie a full refund along with additional compensation.
In a statement, they said: “We unreservedly apologise to Ms Curtis for her recent experience while travelling with us.
“We are committed to providing a safe and comfortable travel experience for all our customers, including those requiring specific assistance.
The airline added that it was not company policy to charge for the use of a wheelchair to board or disembark their planes, and that the incident is being investigated as a “matter of urgency.”
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