Stansted apologises to Paralympian who was left stranded on plane
Airport staff failed to meet Anne Wafula Strike to take her off Ryanair flight from Berlin.
Anne Wafula Strike: ‘I’m not the first person who this has happened to, but it would be good if I’m the last.’ Martin Godwin for The Guardian
Diane Taylor, The Guardian 29 August 2018
Stansted airport has apologised to the Paralympian and disability rights campaigner Anne Wafula Strike after she was left stranded on a Ryanair flight on her return from the World Para Athletics European championships in Berlin on Friday.
Anne Wafula-Strike travelled on a Ryanair flight to Stansted on Friday from Berlin after returning home from the world para athletics European championships, and says she had booked assistance to get on and off the plane a month in advance. EMPICS Sports. Daily Mail
Airport staff failed to meet her flight to take her off the aircraft and she was left waiting for 45 minutes with plane’s crew. She said that being abandoned on the plane had left her “profoundly distressed”.
When Wafula Strike was finally taken off the plane she was forced to wait more than an hour in the luggage hall before she could retrieve her luggage – longer than the duration of the Berlin-to-Stansted flight.
Stansted airport has now issued an apology to Wafula Strike and said that the level of service she had received at the airport was “unacceptable”.
Wafula Strike welcomed the apology but said that more needed to be done to prevent repeats of this kind of incident.
A London Stansted airport spokesperson said: “We were disappointed to hear about Ms Wafula Strike’s experience at London Stansted on Friday evening and we apologise for the unacceptable level of service received on this occasion. We will be contacting Ms Wafula Strike directly to offer our apologies and discuss the situation further. We immediately began an investigation to fully understand what took place, and to ensure measures are taken to avoid delays like this in the future.
Stansted airport has now issued an apology to Wafula Strike and said that the level of service she had received at the airport was “unacceptable”.
Wafula Strike welcomed the apology but said that more needed to be done to prevent repeats of this kind of incident.
A London Stansted airport spokesperson said: “We were disappointed to hear about Ms Wafula Strike’s experience at London Stansted on Friday evening and we apologise for the unacceptable level of service received on this occasion. We will be contacting Ms Wafula Strike directly to offer our apologies and discuss the situation further. We immediately began an investigation to fully understand what took place, and to ensure measures are taken to avoid delays like this in the future.
Like @FrankRGardner I was forgotten on @Ryanair last night at @STN_Airport for a long time because I needed assistance that was booked weeks in advance .. then I had to wait for luggage for longer than the flight @SueWillman #airtravel pic.twitter.com/hPW0VXoMCP
— Anne Wafula Strike (@Anne_W_Strike) August 25, 2018
Along other Paralympians, disabled people and Inclusion London we are launching the #TransportJustice campaign, a new legal fund to hold transport providers to account when they fail to provide equal treatment for disabled people!! https://t.co/townBNVSnu
— Anne Wafula Strike (@Anne_W_Strike) August 29, 2018
“The additional wait for baggage was due to severe weather across Europe resulting in significant delays to some aircraft landing at Stansted, which impacted baggage handling delivery times for a number of our passengers. We are working with our airlines to ensure processes are in place to improve the service passengers receive at Stansted airport following disruption.”
Initially, both Ryanair and Stansted airport suggested that responsibility for the incident may lie with OmniServ, a company that provides assistance for disabled passengers at the airport. However, when the airport began its investigation into what had happened to Wafula Strike they found that OmniServ had done nothing wrong.
An OmniServ spokesperson said: “We highly empathise with Anne Wafula Strike and are focused on ensuring positive experiences for all passengers with a disability and reduced mobility.”
Wafula Strike said: “I accept the apology from Stansted airport. But the next step is how do we fix this problem. I know I’m not the first person who this has happened to, but it would be good if I’m the last.”
Wafula Strike received media coverage last year when she went public about an accessible toilet on a train being out of order, forcing her to wet herself because she was on a long journey.
Source The Guardian
Also see
Paralympian left stranded on Stansted flight after staff delay The Guardian
Five difficulties wheelchair users face when flying by plane The Guardian
Paralympic wheelchair athlete is forced to wait 45 minutes before she is helped off Ryanair jet at Stansted The Daily Mail
A Paralympian Was Left Stranded on a Ryanair Flight for 45 Minutes The Points Guy
Paralympian forced to wet herself on train without accessible toilet The Guardian
Paralympian Anne Wafula-Strike wins train toilet payout BBC News
