One Qantas passenger had to endure one of the most humiliating experiences imaginable on a plane.

Despite the airline being notified of her accessibility requirements in advance, she was made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair before being forced to crawl to her seat.

Nikita Bennett, the Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, was left embarrassed after being dropped from her wheelchair while boarding a connecting flight back to her home in Mildura last Tuesday.

An incident involving one passenger happened on board a Qantas flight to Mildura. Image sources: Instagram/@qantas (left), Freepik (right).

The incident was allegedly caused by an airline worker pulling the wheelchair too hard.

'He kind of pulled quite hard and the chair came out from underneath me, and I basically collapsed on top of myself,' Ms Bennett said.

'It was embarrassing. It was done in front of a whole plane of people.'

According to a Qantas spokesperson, the flight was already delayed by half an hour due to the special plans that had been made to accommodate Ms Bennett. Still, despite this delay, they claimed wheelchairs were made available at every step of her journey.

'Our team in Melbourne delayed the flight from Melbourne to Mildura to ensure Ms Bennett was able to get home,' the Qantas spokesperson said.

'Unfortunately, while she was being helped to her seat, Ms Bennett had fallen out of the wheelchair. Our team on-board the flight were obviously distressed about the situation, apologised and offered to help her to her seat, which she declined.

'We regularly carry customers with disabilities and have arrangements in place to ensure they have a smooth journey. We've reached out to Ms Bennett to apologise for her experience.'

This incident comes after news of the airline’s long-standing Chief Executive, Alan Joyce, decision to end his tenure.

The Qantas CEO has been walking a tightrope of public criticism following a series of questionable decisions and controversies.

Qantas found itself in hot water after it recently reported a $2.47bn pre-tax profit for the 2022-23 financial year, which raised some eyebrows considering the airline received a handsome $2.7 billion in government COVID handouts.

Moreover, Qantas is also facing legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over selling tickets for already-cancelled flights and disallowing refunds for customers whose trips were ruined due to COVID-19.

You can read more in this article.

Key Takeaways

• A Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, Nikita Bennett, was made to crawl to her seat after reportedly being dropped from her wheelchair by airline staff.
• Despite the airline being informed of her needs in advance, Ms Bennett was allegedly made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair.
• A Qantas spokesperson confirmed that wheelchairs were available for Bennett at every step of her journey, and the airline has apologised for her experience.
• This incident adds to a string of damaging allegations and scandals faced by Qantas, including misleading customers about refund options and flight credits.

Have you experienced any similar difficulties during a flight? What are your thoughts on this situation? Share them with us in the comments below.

 

[Col@45]

One Qantas passenger had to endure one of the most humiliating experiences imaginable on a plane.

Despite the airline being notified of her accessibility requirements in advance, she was made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair before being forced to crawl to her seat.

Nikita Bennett, the Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, was left embarrassed after being dropped from her wheelchair while boarding a connecting flight back to her home in Mildura last Tuesday.

View attachment 29593

An incident involving one passenger happened on board a Qantas flight to Mildura. Image sources: Instagram/@qantas (left), Freepik (right).

The incident was allegedly caused by an airline worker pulling the wheelchair too hard.

'He kind of pulled quite hard and the chair came out from underneath me, and I basically collapsed on top of myself,' Ms Bennett said.

'It was embarrassing. It was done in front of a whole plane of people.'

According to a Qantas spokesperson, the flight was already delayed by half an hour due to the special plans that had been made to accommodate Ms Bennett. Still, despite this delay, they claimed wheelchairs were made available at every step of her journey.

'Our team in Melbourne delayed the flight from Melbourne to Mildura to ensure Ms Bennett was able to get home,' the Qantas spokesperson said.

'Unfortunately, while she was being helped to her seat, Ms Bennett had fallen out of the wheelchair. Our team on-board the flight were obviously distressed about the situation, apologised and offered to help her to her seat, which she declined.

'We regularly carry customers with disabilities and have arrangements in place to ensure they have a smooth journey. We've reached out to Ms Bennett to apologise for her experience.'

This incident comes after news of the airline’s long-standing Chief Executive, Alan Joyce, decision to end his tenure.

The Qantas CEO has been walking a tightrope of public criticism following a series of questionable decisions and controversies.

Qantas found itself in hot water after it recently reported a $2.47bn pre-tax profit for the 2022-23 financial year, which raised some eyebrows considering the airline received a handsome $2.7 billion in government COVID handouts.

Moreover, Qantas is also facing legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over selling tickets for already-cancelled flights and disallowing refunds for customers whose trips were ruined due to COVID-19.

You can read more in this article.

Key Takeaways

• A Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, Nikita Bennett, was made to crawl to her seat after reportedly being dropped from her wheelchair by airline staff.
• Despite the airline being informed of her needs in advance, Ms Bennett was allegedly made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair.
• A Qantas spokesperson confirmed that wheelchairs were available for Bennett at every step of her journey, and the airline has apologised for her experience.
• This incident adds to a string of damaging allegations and scandals faced by Qantas, including misleading customers about refund options and flight credits.

Have you experienced any similar difficulties during a flight? What are your thoughts on this situation? Share them with us in the comments below.

I would never fly Qantas.

 

[Rose-Marie]

One Qantas passenger had to endure one of the most humiliating experiences imaginable on a plane.

Despite the airline being notified of her accessibility requirements in advance, she was made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair before being forced to crawl to her seat.

Nikita Bennett, the Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, was left embarrassed after being dropped from her wheelchair while boarding a connecting flight back to her home in Mildura last Tuesday.

View attachment 29593

An incident involving one passenger happened on board a Qantas flight to Mildura. Image sources: Instagram/@qantas (left), Freepik (right).

The incident was allegedly caused by an airline worker pulling the wheelchair too hard.

'He kind of pulled quite hard and the chair came out from underneath me, and I basically collapsed on top of myself,' Ms Bennett said.

'It was embarrassing. It was done in front of a whole plane of people.'

According to a Qantas spokesperson, the flight was already delayed by half an hour due to the special plans that had been made to accommodate Ms Bennett. Still, despite this delay, they claimed wheelchairs were made available at every step of her journey.

'Our team in Melbourne delayed the flight from Melbourne to Mildura to ensure Ms Bennett was able to get home,' the Qantas spokesperson said.

'Unfortunately, while she was being helped to her seat, Ms Bennett had fallen out of the wheelchair. Our team on-board the flight were obviously distressed about the situation, apologised and offered to help her to her seat, which she declined.

'We regularly carry customers with disabilities and have arrangements in place to ensure they have a smooth journey. We've reached out to Ms Bennett to apologise for her experience.'

This incident comes after news of the airline’s long-standing Chief Executive, Alan Joyce, decision to end his tenure.

The Qantas CEO has been walking a tightrope of public criticism following a series of questionable decisions and controversies.

Qantas found itself in hot water after it recently reported a $2.47bn pre-tax profit for the 2022-23 financial year, which raised some eyebrows considering the airline received a handsome $2.7 billion in government COVID handouts.

Moreover, Qantas is also facing legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over selling tickets for already-cancelled flights and disallowing refunds for customers whose trips were ruined due to COVID-19.

You can read more in this article.

Key Takeaways

• A Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, Nikita Bennett, was made to crawl to her seat after reportedly being dropped from her wheelchair by airline staff.
• Despite the airline being informed of her needs in advance, Ms Bennett was allegedly made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair.
• A Qantas spokesperson confirmed that wheelchairs were available for Bennett at every step of her journey, and the airline has apologised for her experience.
• This incident adds to a string of damaging allegations and scandals faced by Qantas, including misleading customers about refund options and flight credits.

Have you experienced any similar difficulties during a flight? What are your thoughts on this situation? Share them with us in the comments below.

They need to more than apologise. That was disgusting.

 

[ToniaKisliakov]

One Qantas passenger had to endure one of the most humiliating experiences imaginable on a plane.

Despite the airline being notified of her accessibility requirements in advance, she was made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair before being forced to crawl to her seat.

Nikita Bennett, the Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, was left embarrassed after being dropped from her wheelchair while boarding a connecting flight back to her home in Mildura last Tuesday.

View attachment 29593

An incident involving one passenger happened on board a Qantas flight to Mildura. Image sources: Instagram/@qantas (left), Freepik (right).

The incident was allegedly caused by an airline worker pulling the wheelchair too hard.

'He kind of pulled quite hard and the chair came out from underneath me, and I basically collapsed on top of myself,' Ms Bennett said.

'It was embarrassing. It was done in front of a whole plane of people.'

According to a Qantas spokesperson, the flight was already delayed by half an hour due to the special plans that had been made to accommodate Ms Bennett. Still, despite this delay, they claimed wheelchairs were made available at every step of her journey.

'Our team in Melbourne delayed the flight from Melbourne to Mildura to ensure Ms Bennett was able to get home,' the Qantas spokesperson said.

'Unfortunately, while she was being helped to her seat, Ms Bennett had fallen out of the wheelchair. Our team on-board the flight were obviously distressed about the situation, apologised and offered to help her to her seat, which she declined.

'We regularly carry customers with disabilities and have arrangements in place to ensure they have a smooth journey. We've reached out to Ms Bennett to apologise for her experience.'

This incident comes after news of the airline’s long-standing Chief Executive, Alan Joyce, decision to end his tenure.

The Qantas CEO has been walking a tightrope of public criticism following a series of questionable decisions and controversies.

Qantas found itself in hot water after it recently reported a $2.47bn pre-tax profit for the 2022-23 financial year, which raised some eyebrows considering the airline received a handsome $2.7 billion in government COVID handouts.

Moreover, Qantas is also facing legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over selling tickets for already-cancelled flights and disallowing refunds for customers whose trips were ruined due to COVID-19.

You can read more in this article.

Key Takeaways

• A Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, Nikita Bennett, was made to crawl to her seat after reportedly being dropped from her wheelchair by airline staff.
• Despite the airline being informed of her needs in advance, Ms Bennett was allegedly made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair.
• A Qantas spokesperson confirmed that wheelchairs were available for Bennett at every step of her journey, and the airline has apologised for her experience.
• This incident adds to a string of damaging allegations and scandals faced by Qantas, including misleading customers about refund options and flight credits.

Have you experienced any similar difficulties during a flight? What are your thoughts on this situation? Share them with us in the comments below.

 

[ToniaKisliakov]

Poor Lady being treated so disgustingly by a rich non caring airline
Definitely not the real spirit of Australia but a corrupt lying airline

 

[Leenie]

They need to more than apologise. That was disgusting.

Maybe they should put them selves in her position and see how they would have felt. This happens too often to the disabled .

 

[Keswickian]

It's not clear from this report how the incident happened. It may have been an unfortunate accident.
It seems that the passenger exacerbated the incident by refusing help so don't be too quick to judge or misjudge the airline.

 

[Veggiepatch]

My bad morning has been made triply worse after reading this. As a staunch advocate for persons with a disability, lucky I wasn't there. The flight would not have left the ground as I would have.... don't know. I'm too upset to think about it.

 

[mylittletibbies]

It's not clear from this report how the incident happened. It may have been an unfortunate accident.
It seems that the passenger exacerbated the incident by refusing help so don't be too quick to judge or misjudge the airline.

I was thinking the same, I'm sure they didn't knock her out of her wheelchair on purpose. It also says she fell out of the wheelchair while being helped into her seat, so how was she crawling to her seat?? And then she refused help, which doesn't help the situation

 

[mylittletibbies]

Maybe they should put them selves in her position and see how they would have felt. This happens too often to the disabled .

This is a strange story. Every flight I have been on always allows people with disabilities to board the flight first. My daughter has a disability and has always been treated with the utmost respect. It doesn't sound to me that she was forced to crawl to her seat, but that she refused help and made this decision herself.
A very unfortunate situation.

 

[Leenie]

My bad morning has been made triply worse after reading this. As a staunch advocate for persons with a disability, lucky I wasn't there. The flight would not have left the ground as I would have.... don't know. I'm too upset to think about it.

Two sides to a story

 

[Catherines]

Apart from this unfortunate incident with the disabled customer and I offer her my sympathetic thoughts, here are my thoughts on Qantas.

If the government helped the company with a $2.7billion handout during CoVid shouldn’t Qantas be returning at least some of that to the government from their big profit??? After all it is the government’s money (or actually our money from taxes)! That might reduce the handshake Alan Joyce walks away with.

 

[Dennis]

Special seats should be installed at the front of the plane, these could also be used by able passengers if no disabled traveling.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Two sides to a story

This is correct. Suppose we'll never find out the real truth.

 

[Dija]

I would never fly Qantas.

This is not our “proud to be” national airline anymore. I would not fly with them again.

 

[Trudi]

After fracturing two vertebrae last year, I was unable to walk distances and stand in line and was using a wheelchair to board a flight to Perth. I found Qantas staff extremely helpful.

I simply don't believe anything what that woman was saying!

 

[Jest]

One Qantas passenger had to endure one of the most humiliating experiences imaginable on a plane.

Despite the airline being notified of her accessibility requirements in advance, she was made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair before being forced to crawl to her seat.

Nikita Bennett, the Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, was left embarrassed after being dropped from her wheelchair while boarding a connecting flight back to her home in Mildura last Tuesday.

View attachment 29593

An incident involving one passenger happened on board a Qantas flight to Mildura. Image sources: Instagram/@qantas (left), Freepik (right).

The incident was allegedly caused by an airline worker pulling the wheelchair too hard.

'He kind of pulled quite hard and the chair came out from underneath me, and I basically collapsed on top of myself,' Ms Bennett said.

'It was embarrassing. It was done in front of a whole plane of people.'

According to a Qantas spokesperson, the flight was already delayed by half an hour due to the special plans that had been made to accommodate Ms Bennett. Still, despite this delay, they claimed wheelchairs were made available at every step of her journey.

'Our team in Melbourne delayed the flight from Melbourne to Mildura to ensure Ms Bennett was able to get home,' the Qantas spokesperson said.

'Unfortunately, while she was being helped to her seat, Ms Bennett had fallen out of the wheelchair. Our team on-board the flight were obviously distressed about the situation, apologised and offered to help her to her seat, which she declined.

'We regularly carry customers with disabilities and have arrangements in place to ensure they have a smooth journey. We've reached out to Ms Bennett to apologise for her experience.'

This incident comes after news of the airline’s long-standing Chief Executive, Alan Joyce, decision to end his tenure.

The Qantas CEO has been walking a tightrope of public criticism following a series of questionable decisions and controversies.

Qantas found itself in hot water after it recently reported a $2.47bn pre-tax profit for the 2022-23 financial year, which raised some eyebrows considering the airline received a handsome $2.7 billion in government COVID handouts.

Moreover, Qantas is also facing legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over selling tickets for already-cancelled flights and disallowing refunds for customers whose trips were ruined due to COVID-19.

You can read more in this article.

Key Takeaways

• A Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, Nikita Bennett, was made to crawl to her seat after reportedly being dropped from her wheelchair by airline staff.
• Despite the airline being informed of her needs in advance, Ms Bennett was allegedly made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair.
• A Qantas spokesperson confirmed that wheelchairs were available for Bennett at every step of her journey, and the airline has apologised for her experience.
• This incident adds to a string of damaging allegations and scandals faced by Qantas, including misleading customers about refund options and flight credits.

Have you experienced any similar difficulties during a flight? What are your thoughts on this situation? Share them with us in the comments below.

I have always had assistance on every flight and not once have i experienced anything but great help. Is it because it has not been with qantus??????

 

[cwolter4]

One Qantas passenger had to endure one of the most humiliating experiences imaginable on a plane.

Despite the airline being notified of her accessibility requirements in advance, she was made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair before being forced to crawl to her seat.

Nikita Bennett, the Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, was left embarrassed after being dropped from her wheelchair while boarding a connecting flight back to her home in Mildura last Tuesday.

View attachment 29593

An incident involving one passenger happened on board a Qantas flight to Mildura. Image sources: Instagram/@qantas (left), Freepik (right).

The incident was allegedly caused by an airline worker pulling the wheelchair too hard.

'He kind of pulled quite hard and the chair came out from underneath me, and I basically collapsed on top of myself,' Ms Bennett said.

'It was embarrassing. It was done in front of a whole plane of people.'

According to a Qantas spokesperson, the flight was already delayed by half an hour due to the special plans that had been made to accommodate Ms Bennett. Still, despite this delay, they claimed wheelchairs were made available at every step of her journey.

'Our team in Melbourne delayed the flight from Melbourne to Mildura to ensure Ms Bennett was able to get home,' the Qantas spokesperson said.

'Unfortunately, while she was being helped to her seat, Ms Bennett had fallen out of the wheelchair. Our team on-board the flight were obviously distressed about the situation, apologised and offered to help her to her seat, which she declined.

'We regularly carry customers with disabilities and have arrangements in place to ensure they have a smooth journey. We've reached out to Ms Bennett to apologise for her experience.'

This incident comes after news of the airline’s long-standing Chief Executive, Alan Joyce, decision to end his tenure.

The Qantas CEO has been walking a tightrope of public criticism following a series of questionable decisions and controversies.

Qantas found itself in hot water after it recently reported a $2.47bn pre-tax profit for the 2022-23 financial year, which raised some eyebrows considering the airline received a handsome $2.7 billion in government COVID handouts.

Moreover, Qantas is also facing legal action from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over selling tickets for already-cancelled flights and disallowing refunds for customers whose trips were ruined due to COVID-19.

You can read more in this article.

Key Takeaways

• A Qantas passenger with cerebral palsy, Nikita Bennett, was made to crawl to her seat after reportedly being dropped from her wheelchair by airline staff.
• Despite the airline being informed of her needs in advance, Ms Bennett was allegedly made to wait for half an hour for a wheelchair.
• A Qantas spokesperson confirmed that wheelchairs were available for Bennett at every step of her journey, and the airline has apologised for her experience.
• This incident adds to a string of damaging allegations and scandals faced by Qantas, including misleading customers about refund options and flight credits.

Have you experienced any similar difficulties during a flight? What are your thoughts on this situation? Share them with us in the comments below.

Had a trip to UK earlier this year. My walker was taken to baggage and I was helped into a wheelchair, taken as priority passenger to the airplane, assisted by 2 flight attendants to my seat. On the first stop at Singapore a wheelchair was waiting for me right off the plane. An attendant pushed me round the airport, and back to the plane for the next flight to UK. This happened on arrival at UK and departure later in the month, and at UK, Singapore and Brisbane.
On my next trip a few weeks ago I had to go to Whyalla SA with a change of planes at Adelaide. I received exactly the same treatment at both airports, coming and going. Well done Qantas. I feel for the lady but she did decline assistance to her seat.

 

[Rando1954]

Special seats should be installed at the front of the plane, these could also be used by able passengers if no disabled traveling.

Yes, my thoughts exactly!! I’ve always wondered why disabled people are relegated to the rear of the plane. It’s disgraceful and disrespectful on the part of the airline. It’s getting to the stage now where I’ll drive to my destination rather than fly.

 

[Catherines]

Special seats should be installed at the front of the plane, these could also be used by able passengers if no disabled traveling.

Agree whole heartedly no matter which airline you fly with. And assisted passengers should be boarded first, then parents with children, then other passengers.

It is so annoying to find everyone and his uncle getting in line to board even though announcements are made that passengers from seat ** to seat ** will be boarding first, then seat ** onwards. Unfortunately I don't think airline staff have the gumption to tell a passenger it is not yet their time to board for fear of a 'scene'.

For goodness sake, we all have seat numbers so it is not as though someone else is going to take your seat. I believe the rush is because someone has more cabin baggage than allowed and they want 'your overhead locker' as well as their own to stow their stuff!!