A wheelchair-bound woman had a choice: crawl up the airplane steps or miss her flight. American Airlines told Theresa Purcess it was too late to set up a ramp because she hadn’t requested one in advance. Maybe so, but we never know in advance if we’ll board a plane through a floor-level tunnel or up long, steep steps.
I know from personal experience that there was at least one other option. I’ve been placed in a chair and carried up airline steps by two airline employees. Judging from this passenger’s picture, I wasn’t quite as heavy as Ms. Purcell, but these people are trained to bring people of all sizes up those steps.
American admits they blew it, not adhering to established regulations. They’ve apologized to her…but refused any compensation. I think she deserves something for the humiliation she went through (again, from experience, I understand her humiliation), for denying her basic human dignity. I doubt it’s worth what she’s asking; however, American should be penalized.
Meet Ms. Purcell and read more about her story at the Ch. 7 Eyewitness news story “Woman in Wheelchair Sues American Airlines after Having to Crawl onto Plane.”