“I’m still a human being”: Jetstar refuses to allow disabled pensioner to fly after deeming him “too heavy”
A disabled pensioner travelling to NSW last week was left stranded at Melbourne airport after Jetstar staff informed him, he was “too heavy” to fly.
Having flown with the airline only a few days before, Ian Smith was denied access when he attempted to board his flight on Friday, 7News reported.
Suffering from a stroke, the 67-year-old said the airline failed to provide a reason as to why he was denied boarding.
Mr Smith was then forced to stay in a cramped hotel close to the airport.
“I’m gutted. I’m totally gutted,” he said.
“They treat me like an idiot and I’m not an idiot. I’m disabled, but I’m still a human being.”
A disabled pensioner has finally been allowed to fly back into the Gold Coast, after being stranded in Melbourne for five days. Ian Smith was told he was too heavy to board the Jetstar plane, even though they flew him there a week ago. @AmandaAbate #7News pic.twitter.com/BkxXCaJ14V
— 7 News Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) 13 February 2019
His son, David Smith, said the incident was infuriating as the airline had yet to inform them as to why they made the sudden decision.
“They couldn’t even give us a distinct reason as to why he would be denied boarding,” said David.
The budget airline later came out saying the passenger’s weight was the reason behind why he was denied entry, as he was too heavy for staff to transport him via a wheelchair.
But the reasoning took Mr Smith by surprise, as he claims he’s never encountered problems regarding his weight and was unaware of a weight restriction.
But Jetstar believes different, as according to them, Mr Smith should never have been allowed to fly in the first place.
Issuing a statement, Jetstar offered an apology to Mr Smith.
Though, despite the apology, the airline stood firmly on their decision saying that the staff who previously lifted him into his seat had breached company policy.
“Manually lifting passengers requiring wheelchair assistance can create a safety risk for our staff and the passenger being carried,” a spokesperson for the airline told Daily Mail Australia.
After the fiasco subsided, Mr Smith flew home via Qantas on Wednesday, which has a special lifting hoist to assist disabled passengers.
“We have made arrangements with Qantas on this occasion so that Mr Smith and his carer can fly home,” said the spokesperson.
The pensioner is now back home and relieved, but has advised the airline to “please, lift your game!”
Do you think Jetstar made the right decision? Or could the situation have been handled differently? Let us know in the comments below.