A disabled passenger was waiting for his wheelchair to arrive in Atlanta, and found himself in an unpleasant situation. The man, Cory Lee, said he was told by a Delta flight attendant that “TSA would make him get off the plane.”
The incident was recorded and put on Instagram by Lee on November 13.
Part of his caption reads, “this morning, after arriving back home in Atlanta, the crew refused to bring my wheelchair to the door of the plane. I told the airport crew and flight attendants that I would just stay on the plane until my wheelchair was brought to the door of the plane, and they immediately got livid. A Delta flight attendant literally threatened us by saying TSA would make us get off with their guns.”
Who Was The Passenger?
Cory Lee is a blogger based in Atlanta.
The Independent explained, “he was traveling from Santiago, Chile, to Atlanta when he says airline staff refused to bring his wheelchair to the door of the plane.”
This made the Delta staff “livid.”
What’s worse, “a flight attendant can be heard saying that the TSA, who would have all their guns and stuff, would make him get off the aircraft.”
Lee Referenced The Air Carrier Access Act
Lee said he’d never experienced such abrasive treatment on a plane before.
He wrote on Instagram, “by law, according to the Air Carrier Access Act, they are required to bring the wheelchair as close to the plane as possible and you do not have to get off the plane until they do so.”
He added, “I have flown into the Atlanta airport hundreds of times and they have always brought my wheelchair to the door of the plane. I don’t know why they were so adamant about not bringing it today, but to threaten us with guns?! What in the world?!”
Did Anyone Help?
Business Insider mentioned, “the blogger was eventually helped by a ‘very apologetic’ member of the ground staff who found a way to bring his wheelchair to the plane door.”
As explained by Lee, “the ground crew guy (Mr. Flowers) was very apologetic and found a way to quickly bring my wheelchair to the plane door. After being threatened with guns, it was relieving to have his help and kindness.”
Delta Issued A Statement
A spokesperson for Delta told Business Insider, “the exchange in this video does not reflect the high standard of care Delta people aspire to every day. We are reviewing what occurred here and will follow up as appropriate with our people.”
“Delta has reached out to this customer directly to hear more about what they experienced and to offer further apologies.”
Other Wheelchair Users Have Complained
Lee is far from being the only wheelchair-using passenger to experience mistreatment.
Business Insider wrote, “many wheelchair users were caught up in the travel chaos last summer, reporting lost or damaged chairs and demeaning experiences while traveling.”
In September, we reported the story of Jennie Berry, who is paralyzed from the waist down. She had to drag herself down the aisle on her flight to get to the lavatory.
