A disabled passenger says she was ‘humiliated’ when special assistance failed to arrive at Newcastle International Airport, delaying her flight by 90 minutes.

Suzanne Croft, 53, who suffers from a rare and progressive form of muscular dystrophy, said special assistance and equipment was not available at the right time to help her board her flight from Newcastle to Heathrow Thursday, June 9. Suzanne, who relies on her wheelchair – which must be checked into the plane’s hold – said the delay meant the flight departed more than an hour late, leaving her in distress.

“I felt so embarrassed and it left me quite traumatized,” Suzanne said.

READ MORE: Newcastle personal stylist helps millionaires after Debenhams layoff

“The other passengers had already been on board for so long that they had been given snacks and water – and they didn’t look happy.

“As a wheelchair user, it was so humiliating to be loaded onto the plane and into my seat in front of everyone. I felt so upset and guilty for being the cause of a delay. one hour on departure, as well as cascading delays on subsequent flights.

Unfortunately, this was not the only special assistance delay Suzanne faced during her trip. The retired dental practice manager from Surrey said when her BA flight landed at Heathrow Airport she had to be lifted and helped off the plane by her husband and the crew of the next flight after failure of special assistance.

She said passengers on the next flight were already at their gates ready to board as she was still waiting for help.

“When the flight landed at Heathrow, everyone got off, but the special assistance didn’t arrive,” Suzanne said.

“The crew and captain of the next flight came on board and both captains radioed for special assistance, but neither was available. Eventually my husband, who is 66, had to lift me from the seat , assisted by the new crew, and they had to put me in a folding aisle chair with no seat belt.

“My husband held my legs while a nice crew member on the next flight pushed me into the arrival lounge. It’s not the wait, I’m used to it. C is indignity and humiliation.

“It’s just not good enough. I don’t want to cause trouble for the cabin crew and the captain, they were very helpful and kind. The captain even carried our luggage to the taxi.

“I know the special assistance people are doing the best they can. There just aren’t enough special assistance personnel and equipment, that’s the problem.”

Suzanne, who had traveled to take part in a life-saving clinical study at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), said her experience made her fear flying. She is now backing calls by the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK for the aviation industry and government to take action to ensure people with disabilities get the support they are legally entitled to when traveling by air.

“The way I feel right now, I never want to fly again, but the study I’m taking part in at Newcastle is so important to me and others with my condition,” she said.

“I feel so sad that something like flying, which should open up so many opportunities and experiences for me, has now become something I dread.”

Newcastle International Airport apologized to Suzanne for causing her any embarrassment and said it had thoroughly investigated the incident. However, the airport said the delay was due to a “non-airport issue” and that the special assistance team was fully operational and all equipment was available at the time.

An airport spokeswoman said: “We take the experience of our disabled passengers very seriously and work closely with disability groups to ensure we continue to provide the full and reliable service that our passengers deserve.

“In the CAA’s latest independent audit of our assistance offering, the airport was rated in the highest category, ‘Very Good’, with subsequent evaluations giving high praise for the level of service provided.

“On the day of Ms Croft’s flight to London, the crew was fully staffed and all equipment was available. Due to non-airport issues, passengers boarded the plane later than planned. and on short notice.As soon as the passenger assistance team was notified that the plane was boarding, Ms Croft was taken to the gate.

“We are sorry to hear that boarding the plane after the other passengers caused embarrassment for Ms Croft. We would like to reassure passengers with reduced mobility. Since the beginning of the year, the team has handled over 10,000 passengers and feedback on the service provided has been overwhelmingly positive.”

BA Airlines said the airline is “investigating the incident with the airports involved”.

Heathrow Airport also apologized for the delay and said it was investigating to find out what happened.

A spokeswoman for Heathrow Airport said: “We are very sorry for the delay Ms Croft suffered last week and we are investigating the incident. All airport organizations are preparing to respond to high summer demand and are working hard to ensure that everyone traveling through the airport can enjoy a seamless passenger experience.”

READ NEXT: