Originally Posted by bealine

I don't like the sound of this at all as it goes against everything we have done in all the years I have been with BA. You see, everyone inside BA knows and has it drummed into them from day one that a wheelchair is the same as somebody's legs and we will even offload customers' baggage to accommodate a wheelchair. We would never simply say "there's no more room" and leave the mobility aid behind.

If the wheelchair was left behind, then I would say it was more likely a human error - an "Oh ****" moment at City Airport a few hours later when someone found a lonely wheelchair in a corridor or lift that "someone" was supposed to have taken down to ramp level!

Damage is different. It happens unfortunately! Sometimes lashings break loose, the load shifts a bit in flight and a heavy suitcase buckles a wheel. No matter how hard loaders try, wheelchairs are an awkward shape to secure in the hold and occasionally we have to say "sorry" and make arrangements for repair.

The problem is that many wheelchairs are not only expensive (Carter's Invacare standard chair was £2,000 35 years ago!) but many are unique to the individual and, looking at this lady's blog, I would say hers falls into the unique category. It's not like a baby buggy where we could obtain one to loan for a few weeks whilst hers was in for repair.

Of course, that leads on to yet another problem - wheelchair repair is a very speacialised business, there aren't too many people you can turn to. That's the reason why the repair is taking so long.

The lady in question is an "Activist" and bangs on about those who see Disablity Rights as a "nice to have". Let me tell you, British Airways takes its responsibilities for disabled people very seriously - it has done since before I joined -and when failures occur, it is usually due to mishaps beyond our control.

Personally, I have a keen interest in the services we provide for the disabled and I make suggestions regularly on where improvements could be made for minimal investment. It delights me to see so many people, who would have been "housebound" when I was a child, now flitting off around the world to take in the sights or spend time with friends and family.

Whilst I am not unsympathetic as to the expenses the lady is incurring, there must surely be some relationship between the cost of an aeroplane ticket and the extent of the airline's liability wouldn't you agree? If, every time a mishap occurs, it is going to cost the airline £18,000 plus the repair costs etc, then I can see airline bosses crying "foul" and plunging us back into the dark ages!

I'm sure this situation will be resolved to everyone's satisfaction before long.