A journalist has recounted a distressing incident during a recent flight, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in air travel. In a poignant social media post, Frank Gardner detailed how he was forced to crawl to the airplane toilet due to a lack of assistance. He shared a photo from the cabin floor to X and wrote: “Wow.
It’s 2024 and I’ve just had to crawl along the floor of this LOT Polish airline to get to the toilet during a flight back from Warsaw as “we don’t have onboard wheelchairs. It’s airline policy”. If you’re disabled and you can’t walk this is just discriminatory.
” Gardner became a wheelchair-user in 2004 after being shot six times by Al-Qaeda while he was on assignment in Saudi Arabia. However, he did add that while the staff was apologetic and understanding, it was the airline’s fault. “In fairness to the cabin crew, they were as helpful and apologetic as they could be.
Not their fault, it’s the airline. Won’t be flying LOT again until they join the 21st century.” The incident has sparked outrage and calls for improved accessibility standards in the aviation industry.
Many have criticised the airline for its failure to provide adequate support to a passenger with a disability. The Polish airline has issued a statement in response to the incident, expressing regret and promising to investigate the matter thoroughly. The airline has also pledged to take steps to ensure that similar situations do not occu.