My pre-booked assistance did not arrive when my plane landed in London, but its staff did not help me
I am disabled and was left stranded on the jet bridge floor at Heathrow by American Airlines when pre-booked special assistance did not arrive. Instead of helping, a crew member filmed me in distress. Due to my various health conditions I need a wheelchair to board and disembark. There was no issue at the John F Kennedy airport in New York. But when the plane landed at Heathrow no one came to get me. I eventually inquired. I was told a wheelchair had arrived and shooed me on to the jet bridge. I could see it was not there, so I turned around to sit back down to wait.
However, crew members blocked the door and told me it was illegal to re-enter the cabin and ordered me to wait in the jet bridge. I was no longer able to stand, so was forced to sit on the floor. The cabin crew watched my distress from the door and one filmed me on his phone. The remaining passengers, and even the pilots, had to step over me with their luggage. In the three months since, I’ve complained several times to the airline but it blames me for the incident, and refuses to investigate the filming because it was on a personal phone. I have been disabled most of my life, but have never felt so dehumanised.
AC, London
