Family upset at airport's treatment of diabled grandmother
01.10.07
A family is furious at the way their disabled grandmother was treated by staff at Coventry Airport last week. They say staff refused to help 82-year-old Janetta Kubiak on to the plane, telling them that that they would only help if they had time, even thought the family had phoned ahead and booked assistence. She got on the flight only thanks to the intervention of a good Samaritan travelling on the same plane.
Mrs Kubiak, a mother of 4 from Walsgrave, who has had two hip replacements and suffers with angina and arthritis, was flying to Barcelona to visit her son. Her daughter had telephoned Thomsonfly customer services to explain that she could walk only a limited number of steps with sticks and relied on a wheelchair.
The family booked assistance at both Coventry and Barcelona airports and were assured that Mrs Kubiak would receive it if she brought her disabled badge and an official document outlining details of her disability.
However, when she arrived at Coventry Airport last Wednesday, the customer services desk said that it did not provide assistance for disabled passengers. A representative told the family that Coventry 'was not the same as Birmingham or Heathrow and did not offer the same services because they did not have the manpower.'
They were told: 'We do not have the staff, nor the time, to push people from A to B.' In the end the family approached another passenger and asked him to help her on to the plane.
An airport spokeswoman said: 'We apologise for any stress caused to Mrs Kubiak. Customer service is always a high priority at the airport. Until Mrs Kubiak returns from Barcelona and we are able to investigate the full facts we are unable to comment further.'
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