A WOMAN has spoken of her upset and hurt at being refused permission to board an Aer Arann flight because the airline deemed her mobility scooter to be unsafe despite assurances from the manufacturers of the machine that it is safe to carry on aircrafts.
Corina Duyn from Lismore, Co Waterford, was due to board an Aer Arann flight from Cork airport to Edinburgh on Wednesday when she was told by Servisair staff handling the boarding that they would not be taking her because of the battery on her mobility scooter.
"Although I had contacted the airline a week previous because of my requirements regarding my disability and checked in an hour before take-off, I was only told that I could not board when other passengers were boarding," said Ms Duyn, who has ME.
Ms Duyn explained that the battery on her Rio 3 Lite mobility scooter was classified as a wet nonspillable battery which is fully compliant with the International Air Transport Association requirements and that she pointed this out to the Servisair staff at Cork Airport. Ms Duyn said that a staff member removed the battery and saw that it was a sealed unit and she also pointed out to the Servisair handling staff a regulatory sticker on the battery stating that it was non-spillable and compliant with the IATA regulations.
She said she also showed a photocopy about the battery's compliance with the IATA regulations to a Servisair staff member who forwarded it to Aer Arann in Dublin but half an hour later as she was preparing to board, she was told that she was not being allowed on the plane.
"At that stage, I even offered to leave my scooter behind in Cork in the hope that I could hire one in Edinburgh but they still refused to allow me board the flight and I ended up having to miss my trip to Edinburgh," she explained.
"It was a very horrible and upsetting experience to be singled out from all the other passengers and not allowed board the aircraft - it felt like I was being criminalised and it really felt like a violation of my rights as a person with a disability to travel abroad," she said.
Ms Duyn said that she had previously travelled with Aer Lingus who never had any difficulty with the scooter or its battery.
"It meant I missed the chance to travel to Edinburgh to meet publishers about a new book I've written - it caused me great upset and leaves me deeply hurt," said Ms Duyn who is seeking an apology from Aer Arann who have offered to refund her the €109 cost of her ticket. An Aer Arann spokesman told The Irish Timesthat they had only learned of Ms Duyn's complaint yesterday and would need some time to investigate it including examining her booking, the exact type of battery on the scooter and how she was treated on the day. Aer Arann would not be in a position to comment on Ms Duyn's complaint until this investigation was complete but would respond appropriately once it was completed which might take a few days, said the company spokesman.
