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We Will Never Fly Out Of Manchester Airport Again”-Disabled Passenger Stranded On Plane Cries Out

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We Will Never Fly Out Of Manchester Airport Again”-Disabled Passenger Stranded On Plane Cries Out

A disabled man said he will never travel via Manchester Airport again after he was left stranded on a plane waiting for special assistance.

Ray King and his wife Paula had returned from their trip from Dalaman in Turkey earlier this month. The 68-year-old, who has osteoarthritis in both knees and one hip, struggles to walk long distances.

We Will Never Fly Out Of Manchester Airport Again”-Disabled Passenger Stranded On Plane Cries Out

His wife had booked assistance ahead of their arrival to help him disembark the aircraft but when their Jet2.com flight landed in Manchester, they were stuck on the plane for over two hours.

Mr. King said he wasn’t the only passenger waiting with another couple relying on assistance agency ABM as well. The cabin crew tried to speed up the process but to no avail, causing the plane, which was due to depart for Sicily, to be delayed.

Passengers for the scheduled flight at 6.15 pm were not able to board until after 8 pm, Mr. King told the Manchester Evening News. Eventually, he was taken to the terminal by ambulift but still had to walk to passport control without a wheelchair, despite having requested one.

“Despite needing a wheelchair to negotiate the many areas of the airport I was dumped at a door and told ‘there is the lift’,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for my wife’s help I would have been helpless.

“Both Jet2.com captains, the one who flew us in and the one who arrived to fly the next passengers out, were amazing and really tried to help. I don’t blame the airline, they tried their utmost.

“When they finally got us they had no wheelchairs after the ride to the terminal so I just had to walk a bit, sit down, then walk again, and suffer with the help of my wife. We will never fly through Manchester Airport again. It was the complete opposite at Dalaman, they couldn’t help enough.”

The couple, who live an equal distance to Newcastle and Leeds, usually travel from Manchester Airport around three times a year but said they will not be coming back now.

We’ve always traveled from Manchester but we will not do that again,” said Mr. King. “Even in the terminal there were no lights on and we had to shout to get the passport control guy. Our baggage was just plonked on the floor and my wife had to go hunting for it. No explanation, no staff.”

A Manchester Airport spokesman confirmed it was agency ABM that was responsible for providing special assistance. It is understood a “technical outage” on the day in question may have contributed to the incident.

The spokesman added: “We are sorry to hear this passenger had a disappointing experience upon arrival. Our whole industry is facing resource challenges at present, following the most damaging two years in its history.

“This includes not only airports and airlines but also third parties operating on our site, including the special assistance providers who are responsible for supporting passengers such as Mr. King with additional requirements. We will continue to work with our partners to understand the challenges they’re facing, mitigate these pressures in the interim, and deliver the best passenger experience we can.”

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