Disabled passenger problem at Edinburgh Airport
03.08.08
A 10 year old disabled girl was stranded on a plane at Edinburgh Airport because the only person trained to operate a special lift was in bed asleep, the Scottish Sunday Mail reports. Lucy Pratt and her family endured an hour-long ordeal after airline staff admitted they could not operate the equipment.
Lucy's dad Alex, 39, offered to help lift her special wheelchair down the steps of the plane but airport staff said their insurance would not cover it. They said the only solution would be for Alex to carry cerebral palsy sufferer Lucy down the flight steps himself. But her condition can cause her arms and legs to spasm, meaning carrying her would be too dangerous.
The other passengers waited for half an hour before the bus to the terminal left without the family. The airport finally decided its insurance would allow staff to carry a lightweight, folding wheelchair down the steps, and Lucy was lifted into the second chair and carried off the plane.
Alex told the newspaper that the situation was ‘shameful’. He said: ‘I told them we required a disabled lift when I booked and I called a few days before to remind them. I was flabbergasted when we arrived and they said the only trained guy was in bed asleep. They were trying to make me carry Lucy down the rickety steps but it would have been dangerous for both of us so I refused. It was a farce.’
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said that they have now ensured disabled access to and from planes is available 24 hours a day. Under new EU rules introduced on July 26, they were legally required to do this anyway. The family could complain about their experience, which could leave the airport with a substantial fine.
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