BA says sorry for upsetting disabled passenger
British Airways has issued an apology to a disabled passenger who claims he was made to ‘look stupid’ when cabin crew made him leave a plane just before take-off.
Luke Kenshole, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, had already taken his seat for the flight from London Heathrow to Philadelphia when he was asked whether he could take himself to the toilet.
When he said he needed assistance to get onto the wheelchair, he was told he’d have to get off the plane for health and safety reasons.
Mr Kenshole claimed the airline had time to address any issues while he was checking in and going through security, rather than waiting until the last minute.
"It’s the way they went about it that upset me," he told the Daily Mail.
"They made me look stupid in front of people."
A spokesperson for British Airways said: "We are extremely sorry and appreciate this must have been upsetting for Mr Kenshole.
"A senior member of our customer relations team has been in contact with our customer to offer a full refund.
"We carry hundreds of thousands of customers with disabilities each year and we work hard to provide help and assistance throughout the whole journey, from the point of booking to the final arrival."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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