Paralympian told she can’t board plane with wheelchair
<p dir="ltr">A paralympian has been left embarrassed after Jetstar staff refused to allow her to board with her wheelchair. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Karni Liddell represented Australia at the 1996 and 2000 Paralympic Games and had booked with Jetstar to fly from Brisbane to Proserpine on Wednesday. </p>
<p dir="ltr">She was however told she would not be allowed to board the plane because there was a lithium battery on the wheelchair - even though she had a dangerous goods certificate issued by Qantas and Jetstar.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I was told on the phone beforehand that I could fly, but I couldn’t bring my wheelchair,” she said on Sunrise on Thursday. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“I asked her again to repeat it because I actually thought it was quite funny.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“I said ‘that would be like me telling you to take your legs off, to jump on the plane and fly without your legs’ and she said ‘stop being so rude’.”</p>
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<p dir="ltr">Karni explained that this is not the first time she has been discriminated against on recalling about 10 incidents over the past few years.</p>
<p dir="ltr">She said every time she arrived at the airport she was riddled with anxiety and is questioning why it’s so hard to accommodate those who need a bit of extra help.</p>
<p dir="ltr">“It’s so common for us, we are always fighting to fly. So I just want to find out why? Why is it so hard?”</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jetstar has since made a statement in response to the horrific incident which saw Karni miss out on an income. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“Unfortunately her booking was made through a travel vendor and did not include the requirement to travel with a 25-kilogram lithium-battery-powered wheelchair,” the statement read. </p>
<p dir="ltr">“Carrying a 25-kilogram lithium battery on our aircraft requires special clearance in advance of the flight’s departure.”</p>
<p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>
