Given no wheelchair, paralyzed journalist crawls to plane's toilet
What's the story
Frank Gardner, the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) security correspondent, has publicly criticized LOT Polish Airlines for its lack of onboard aisle chairs. The incident occurred on a flight from Warsaw to London, during which Gardner was compelled to crawl on the floor of the plane to reach the toilet. Describing his experience as "physically deeply uncomfortable and...quite degrading," he took to social media to express his dissatisfaction with the airline's policy.
Discrimination claim
Gardner calls out LOT Polish Airlines's discriminatory policy
Gardner, who was paralyzed from the knees down after being shot by al-Qaeda sympathizers in Saudi Arabia in 2004, labeled the incident as "discriminatory." "This is 2024, not 1970, and I find it extraordinary that an airline is allowed to fly in and out of British airports with a policy that effectively says 'if you can't walk, you can't go to the toilet on our planes,'" he stated.
Airline response
LOT Polish Airlines apologizes, cites limited space
LOT Polish Airlines issued an apology for the distressing experience Gardner encountered due to the lack of an onboard wheelchair. The airline explained that while onboard wheelchairs are available on their Dreamliner aircraft, limited space prevents them from equipping their short-haul fleet with this facility. However, they assured that they are actively testing solutions to equip their short-haul aircraft with onboard wheelchairs in the near future.
2017
Gardner had criticized another airline in 2017
In 2017, Gardner had criticized the treatment of disabled passengers traveling by plane after being left on an EasyJet flight when it landed at Gatwick airport. Gardner said he was left on the plane after all other passengers left because special assistance staff failed to turn up. The journalist blamed the outsourcing group OCS, which is responsible for disability access at the airport, but also criticized EasyJet for not using an airbridge that was visible from the plane.