Natalie Curtis uses a wheelchair – airlines are required to provide her with a special device to board and disembark. A process that otherwise runs smoothly. On a trip to Bangkok, however, an incident occurred: A video shows Curtis having to crawl on the floor between the airplane seats to get to the exit. “I’ve never felt so humiliated in my life,” she says.
As Curtis reported to the Australian breakfast show “Sunrise”, the employees of the airline Jetstar had told her that she had to pay for the wheelchair. She refused. Since her travel companion had a knee injury and could not help her, she had no choice but to drag herself off the plane. However, Curtis did not rule out that the incident may have been due to a language barrier between her and the airline staff.
A Jetstar spokesman told Business Insider that the airline had apologized for the incident and clarified that there were no charges for using the wheelchair. “We are committed to providing a safe and comfortable travel experience for all of our customers, including those who require special assistance.”
Unfortunately, this was not the case with Curtis after a miscommunication. How the situation came about is being investigated. “At no time was an aisle chair held due to a request for payment.” The customer service team contacted Curtis to offer her a refund as well as additional compensation.
