A disabled mother has spoken of her profound humiliation after being told to "hurry up" by airline staff when her pre-booked wheelchair assistance catastrophically failed to appear.
Claire Stringer, who lives with a debilitating condition that affects her mobility, had meticulously arranged for special assistance ahead of her Jet2 flight from Manchester Airport to Tenerife. However, upon arrival, the promised wheelchair was nowhere to be seen.
In a distressing video captured by her daughter, Ms. Stringer is seen visibly struggling to walk through the terminal, forced to use her daughter as a human crutch while dragging her luggage. Instead of offering aid, a member of the airline's ground staff is heard issuing a callous ultimatum.
"We are going to have to hurry up," the staff member declared, showing a complete lack of empathy for the passenger's clear distress and physical limitations.
The incident left Ms. Stringer, who was travelling for a much-needed holiday, feeling utterly degraded and "humiliated." It highlights a glaring failure in the system designed to protect and assist vulnerable travellers, raising serious questions about the training and protocols of ground handling agencies contracted by airlines.
This is not an isolated incident, but part of a worrying pattern of failures in airport special assistance services across the UK, causing immense stress and physical hardship for passengers with disabilities.
