Heathrow under fire after BBC journalist is stranded without wheelchair
Heathrow has come under fire after leaving BBC journalist Frank Gardner stranded on an empty plane for over 100 minutes because his wheelchair had been misplaced.
Gardner, who has used a wheelchair since being shot six times by militants in Saudi Arabia 14 years ago, took to social media on Saturday to complain about his ordeal, claiming it was not the first time his wheelchair had been ‘lost’ by ground staff at the airport.
Yesterday, he met with Heathrow CEO John Holland Kaye talking him through some of the issues faced by disabled travellers.
He said afterwards that he had ‘just spent (hopefully) one of the most constructive hours of my life’ with the CEO who had taken notes during the conversation and had identified three areas where improvements can be made.
"A good start," said Gardner.
Holland Kaye said Heathrow would aim to help disabled passengers off the plane within 20 minutes of landing.
But talking to the BBC about the problems yesterday, he said disabled passengers stranded on planes at Heathrow will not be compensated.
A spokesman for Heathrow said this morning: "We apologise unreservedly for Mr Gardner’s experience this weekend which fell short of the experience we aim to provide our passengers. We are very glad to have had the opportunity to discuss directly with him this important issue and we will be focusing on working with our airlines and partners at Heathrow to improve our service in line with that discussion."
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.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt