In what looks like a PR disaster for Singapore-based budget airline Scoot, two wheelchair-bound passengers, who were en-route from Australia’s Gold Coast to Singapore on flight TZ005, were refused boarding by staff as they did not have a carer present, according to Australian outlet news.com.au.
Brisbane resident David Wadge, 45, and Dr Merima Isakovic, 58, were denied entry and, as a result, missed their flight. The two had not met prior to the incident.
Dr Merima, a clinical psychologist, had been planning to attend an important family celebration in Singapore, but missed it entirely. She says while she managed to keep calm, it was still an ordeal: “I was witnessing not only somebody trying to humiliate me, just because I am sitting in a wheelchair and just because I can’t walk. But also humiliating another person.”
Both passengers had apparently checked in early and were ready to board, but were stopped at the gate by an Aerocare staff member who informed them that Scoot “does not accept wheelchair users unless they have a carer with them”.
Having been wheelchair users for more than 20 years, they have not faced any difficulty while traveling nationally and internationally, just like many other people with disabilities. Neither of them require a caregiver to go about their everyday lives, with Dr Merima calling Scoot’s policy “irrational”, as having a carer would not make much of a difference during the flight. Dr Merima also claimed that staff relayed the message through airport staff rather than speaking to them directly.
According to Disability Discrimination Commissioner Alastair McEwin, Scoot is required by law to provide access to their services and has expressed his disappointment in the way Wadge and Dr Merima were treated.
Scoot has since issued an apology, but reiterated that there are policies for guests who require special assistance, and instead blamed its call center for what it termed an “oversight” and providing “incorrect advice”. Their offer to Dr Merima and Wadge to take an alternative flight via Singapore Airlines was refused, and refunds have since been issued to them.
“We will also be reviewing our process to avoid a recurrence of such incidents,” said Scoot in an email statement to news.com.au.
In Dr Merima’s case, she refused to accept their offer of an alternative flight as she had already missed the celebrations. It’s unclear why Wadge turned down Scoot’s offer, but it’s clear he remains angry and dismayed over the turn of events, and is demanding compensation, a written apology and a change to the policies involving disabled passengers.
We’ve reached out to Scoot for further comment on the incident.
Earlier this year, Scoot come under fire for another case of poorly treating a person with disability — the airline was forced to apologize to a passenger with cerebral palsy on the same Gold Coast-Singapore route over a string of issues involving her electric wheelchair.
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