http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/08/1391607/-Woman-suing-airline-after-they-refused-wheelchair-ramp-and-she-had-to-crawl-onto-plane?detail=email
American Airlines is in hot water after Theresa Purcell says she was trying to board a flight and the attendant told her it was too late to bring a wheelchair ramp. Faced with the prospect of missing the flight, Theresa was forced to crawl aboard, all the way to her seat:
Theresa Purcell was taking a commuter flight from San Diego when the agent at the gate told her it was too late to set up a ramp so she can board.
Instead, Purcell had to get off her wheelchair and crawl all the way to her seat.
“So when I asked that I can’t walk up on the stairs, and then she was like, so how you going get on the plane then? And I was like, oh wow,” said Purcell. “I crawled up onto the steps. I crawled into the plane. There was no other way for me to get on the plane so I crawled up to the plane.”
One flight attendant praised her for making it to her seat:
Christy Ho has known Purcell for years and is her attorney. “When she got on the plane, the flight attendant tapped her on the shoulder and said, ‘You’re a trooper. I’ve never seen anybody crawl like that,'” said Ho.
Purcell claims there was a ramp directly next to the plane and the agent simply refused to have it brought over. Her attorney has filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, which has thus far refused to compensate her, even though they issued an apology:
“We regret that a ramp was not requested so Ms. Purcell wold be able to board the aircraft without going up the stairs, assistance should should have been provided shortly thereafter. Based on what you’ve shared, it appears our employees didn’t provide the the attentive, courteous and professional service we expect as a company. I understand how the way you are treated can affect your impression of our” airline and sympathize with your displeasure.
“After review of the facts, American Airlines admits they were in violation of CFR 14 Part 382 for not having provided level entry boarding as requested.”
this is stupid the bad publicity they will get will only multiply the longer they refuse to settle apologies are weak diversions in cases like this. the attendant who never saw someone crawl like that was that more sarcasm than praise and how do you praise someone in that situation and not lift a finger to help. if you've been on a plane you know those stairs are intimidating when you walk up them, and even more egregious where were the other passengers was their not a empathetic heart in the bunch wonder how many Christians were on board????
i take special umbrage to this because i too am wheelchair bound.and are susceptible to inconsiderate public places that think not enough impaired customers to warrant ramps.
