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.

 

[cwolter4]

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.

They are usually at the back to be near the toilets. Also disabled passengers have to wait until all other passengers have disembarked to make it easier for attendants to assist them.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Misleading headline, no where does it say she was forced to crawl to her seat, she refused help.
Completely different scenario.

 

[mylittletibbies]

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.

It is not disrespect, it is for their benefit, to be close to the toilets, hence the reason they are usually on first and off last.

 

[Lord Garton]

I would never fly Qantas.

Ｉ　ｎｅｖｅｒ　ｄｏ

 

[Catherines]

Perhaps at least people with mobility disabilities could be seated in the first few seats or closer to the Business or First Class seats if on an International flight - surely there are toilets for those Bus. & First class passengers that the disabled could use.

And yes, the article does say she declined help, so it's not as though she was humiliated by them not assisting; she brought that humiliation on herself. I'm sure the airline's staff in attendance would have apologised in some way at the time.

 

[Catherines]

They are usually at the back to be near the toilets. Also disabled passengers have to wait until all other passengers have disembarked to make it easier for attendants to assist them.

Wouldn't it be easier for attendants to assist with disembarking if these passengers are closer to the front of the plane where the exit door are? Would take a lot less manouvering between seats from the back of the plane!

 

[Ricki]

Two sides to a story

Always

 

[Ricki]

I have to travel to Brisbane from Cairns every two months for cancer treatment and require my walker due to the great the distance one has to walk. Most have the rules for disabled, aged and sometimes those with children, first on last off. I've never had problems with that part of the journey. Always very kind and helpful. The problem is always at the arrival point. My walker always seems to go walk about.

 

[Veggiepatch]

The problem is always at the arrival point. My walker always seems to go walk about.

You should have it on a leash....

 

[Countryjohn]

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.

That’s about normal from them. I organized wheelchair access from Manila , Sydney and Melbourne. I missed my flight in Sydney adding another 3 hours to wait for the next because they ran out of wheel chair. I was coming home for medical reasons part of which was a heart rate of between 30 and 40 . Melbourne airport got me out of the 45 minutes late wheel chair And told me to walk. I collapsed after so had walked a little way. No first aid, ambulance nothing, not even oxygen. Disgusted with Qantas will never fly with them again. I certainly feel for this lady but it’s not only the “airline” but staff slowing and or initiating this terrible service !!!!

 

[Miss Chris]

Yes, like most people I would expect passengers with mobility issues to be boarded first, and in a dignified manner taken to their seat and settled down before all the regular passengers board, which is a bit of a melee sometime. If an accident happens then at least it can be sorted without everyone watching……..it was obviously embarrassing for this lady in front of everyone. Accidents do happen though and I admit that if I was embarrassed like this I would want to get to my seat as quickly as possible and without fuss even if it meant refusing help. I also don’t think there should have been any delays…prior knowledge of the passengers needs should have taken care of that. I have flown Qantas in the past and found the air staff to be very customer nasty……being in a bad mood about something and then taking it out on a passenger, putting the overhead light on because you want something, in my case some iced water….then waiting a long time for someone to come because you don’t want to disturb the sleeping passenger beside you, and then to be told that that isn’t his job and then goes to find someone else……I just found that more air staff were rude and unfriendly than needed to be and an excellent way to welcome passengers from other countries (not)….

 

[Mina vriesekolk]

Has Qantas a caring bone in their body at all? It is all about money , money and time saving .
I remember an incident many years ago when hubby and myself booked a Qantas flight to Vancouver ,B.C. Canada as we were going to visit my brother and family. We had a stopover in Hawaii and we were nearly on the front seats of economy class . One row in front of us were 3 Australian swimmers , one of them was Michael Klim.
All the passengers got their meals and the swimmers got heaps of attention ( not their fault) . People asking for signatures , even the pilot came out and they were given special attention . Our meals never came and the swimmers were offered a second meal . That’s when we asked them why they got their second meal and we were still waiting for ours ?.
They had no answer , it was very obvious as every one had their trays on the table , but ours was empty. They did not apologise for their mistake . We were all economy class , but certainly not the same treatment . Since then we have never flew with Qantas again.

 

[Catherines]

I have to travel to Brisbane from Cairns every two months for cancer treatment and require my walker due to the great the distance one has to walk. Most have the rules for disabled, aged and sometimes those with children, first on last off. I've never had problems with that part of the journey. Always very kind and helpful. The problem is always at the arrival point. My walker always seems to go walk about.

We’ll, it is a walker, so it goes walkabout!! Ha ha. As another reader said - keep it on a leash.

 

[Leenie]

Has Qantas a caring bone in their body at all? It is all about money , money and time saving .
I remember an incident many years ago when hubby and myself booked a Qantas flight to Vancouver ,B.C. Canada as we were going to visit my brother and family. We had a stopover in Hawaii and we were nearly on the front seats of economy class . One row in front of us were 3 Australian swimmers , one of them was Michael Klim.
All the passengers got their meals and the swimmers got heaps of attention ( not their fault) . People asking for signatures , even the pilot came out and they were given special attention . Our meals never came and the swimmers were offered a second meal . That’s when we asked them why they got their second meal and we were still waiting for ours ?.
They had no answer , it was very obvious as every one had their trays on the table , but ours was empty. They did not apologise for their mistake . We were all economy class , but certainly not the same treatment . Since then we have never flew with Qantas again.

Service seems to be disappearing at a fast rate ,humanity seems a little caring ,not much empathy,people have lost genuine feelings and so cold ,they don’t seem to care anymore.

 

[Leenie]

We’ll, it is a walker, so it goes walkabout!! Ha ha. As another reader said - keep it on a leash.

Ha ha funny

 

[Leenie]

Has Qantas a caring bone in their body at all? It is all about money , money and time saving .
I remember an incident many years ago when hubby and myself booked a Qantas flight to Vancouver ,B.C. Canada as we were going to visit my brother and family. We had a stopover in Hawaii and we were nearly on the front seats of economy class . One row in front of us were 3 Australian swimmers , one of them was Michael Klim.
All the passengers got their meals and the swimmers got heaps of attention ( not their fault) . People asking for signatures , even the pilot came out and they were given special attention . Our meals never came and the swimmers were offered a second meal . That’s when we asked them why they got their second meal and we were still waiting for ours ?.
They had no answer , it was very obvious as every one had their trays on the table , but ours was empty. They did not apologise for their mistake . We were all economy class , but certainly not the same treatment . Since then we have never flew with Qantas again.

Like everything it’s who you are and who you know .

 

[KaraJenna]

A very similar story was doing the rounds some time ago. What are the odds?

 

[Ezzy]

I am confused as to why the steward was pulling the wheelchair up the plane when surely this could be pushed to the seat, the foot rests dropped, the lady helped to stand, (if she needed assistance), turn & sit in her seat.

Perhaps Airline staff need to receive full training, if not already done, by Societies who deal with people confined to a wheelchair.
Training could include lifting a client in & out of a wheelchair & pushing them.
Training would need to be done with people of different weight & physical disabilities. Some can do a little or a lot.

People with disabilities no longer need to stay at home when they can board an aircraft & fly, but they deserve the help & respect given to any able bodied person.

I believe a similar subject was covered this year when a gentleman with disabilities crawled to his seat in an aircraft. Have airline staff learnt anything at all with regard to dealing with people who have disabilities?

 

[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.

if an offer of help was declined then you must not complain, dreadful as it was. also i see a wheelchair there and not all know how hard to push etc.

 

[Jest]

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.

ditto.