21st-Century Travel? Paralysed Journalist Forced To Crawl To Toilet On London Flight Due To Lack Of Wheelchair

A journalist has recounted a distressing incident during a recent flight, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in air travel. In a poignant social media post, Frank Gardner detailed how he was forced to crawl to the airplane toilet due to a lack of assistance.

He shared a photo from the cabin floor to X and wrote: “Wow. It’s 2024 and I’ve just had to crawl along the floor of this LOT Polish airline to get to the toilet during a flight back from Warsaw as “we don’t have onboard wheelchairs. It’s airline policy”. If you’re disabled and you can’t walk this is just discriminatory.” Gardner became a wheelchair-user in 2004 after being shot six times by Al-Qaeda while he was on assignment in Saudi Arabia.

However, he did add that while the staff was apologetic and understanding, it was the airline’s fault. “In fairness to the cabin crew, they were as helpful and apologetic as they could be. Not their fault, it’s the airline. Won’t be flying LOT again until they join the 21st century.”

The incident has sparked outrage and calls for improved accessibility standards in the aviation industry. Many have criticised the airline for its failure to provide adequate support to a passenger with a disability.

The Polish airline has issued a statement in response to the incident, expressing regret and promising to investigate the matter thoroughly. The airline has also pledged to take steps to ensure that similar situations do not occur in the future. “We are deeply sorry for the distressing experience Mr Frank Gardner encountered on his recent flight with us. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and discomfort caused by the lack of an onboard wheelchair. Currently, onboard wheelchairs are available on our Dreamliner aircraft. However, due to limited space, our short-haul fleet does not yet have this facility. We understand the importance of accessibility and are actively testing solutions to equip our short-haul aircraft with onboard wheelchairs in the near future.”

The journalist’s harrowing experience has shed light on the ongoing challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in air travel. In India, travellers can pre-book wheelchair assistance or carry their own wheelchair, but the same comes with its own set of troubles, and high demand can play a deterrent in smooth provision of services. Earlier this year, an 80-year-old passenger collapsed and died at Mumbai airport after waiting for a wheelchair. The DGCA had issued a show cause notice to Air India and an advisory to all airlines to ensure adequate wheelchair availability.