A disabled man claims he was kicked off a Ryanair flight after being told his electric wheelchair could "ruin the plane."
Noah Cunningham, from Southport, was set to fly to Rome from Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Thursday, April 8, with his brother and two carers with the money he had saved from his 18th birthday. But mum Vicki said Noah had his dream trip "taken away in such a humiliating way" when staff decided his electric wheelchair wouldn't fit after he'd already boarded the plane.
Vicki said Noah, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy - a progressive, muscle-wasting condition, had provided the exact measurements of his wheelchair to the airline in advance of his trip and was not informed there was anything wrong with the measurements provided. Ryanair said incorrect dimensions had been provided, and the wheelchair exceed the maximum dimensions to safely load onto the aircraft.
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Vicki told the ECHO: "He's always wanted to go to Rome - he loves history. It was his 18th birthday. He had all this money for his birthday, he was going on this little trip that he's been planning for years stuck in lockdown and he was finally going to go.
"Lots of his friends are going on holidays now they're 18 and Noah can't do that. This was his little trip he was looking forward to and now it's been taken away in such a humiliating way."
Vicki said Noah had obtained letters from his GP and hospital ahead of travelling which explained the medical equipment he needed with him on the flight, including two ventilators, a suction machine and a feeding pump. Vicki said Noah was also sent a waiver form, filled in by Ryanair's assistance team, which he was asked to show at the airport to waiver the cost of carrying this medical equipment onboard with him.
However, Vicki said Noah first encountered problems when he arrived at the Ryanair check in desk on Thursday, where staff said they didn't know what the waiver form was and asked him to pay more than £70 to take his medical supplies onboard.
Things went from bad to worse for Noah, after he was helped into his seat by the airline's special assistance team. Vicki said: "When you're going on the plane that's not easy as they have to lift him because he's got two metal rods in his spine. They have to lift him in a sling into one of their chairs. They got him on the plane, sat him in his seat, and his two carers were there - they're all sat on the plane."
Vicki said it was at this point a staff member approached one of Noah's carers and asked for help in getting the wheelchair on the plane. "They came up and said 'we can't get the wheelchair on you're going to have to come and help."
Vicki said both of Noah's carers tried to get the wheelchair onto the plane by dismantling the headrest and they were still experiencing difficulties when she claims the pilot got off the plane and approached them.
She said: "The pilot said 'you're going to ruin my plane. You're not putting that on.' At that point they'd broken the wheelchair - the control - you have to push him in it now. All the passengers had been sitting on the plane for an hour, they were fed up as you can imagine.
"[Staff] came onboard and said [to Noah] you'll have to get off, we can't get your wheelchair on.' They had to lift him off and away in front of everyone."
Vicki said the situation is an example of the discrimination people with disabilities face on a daily basis. She said Noah was left with no other option but to return home with his carers after the ordeal and has now lost all of his birthday money which he spent on the flights, accommodation, transport and trips in Rome.
The airline told the ECHO "as a gesture of goodwill, Ryanair has provided a full refund to this passenger."
Vicki added: "If they'd said to us a few weeks ago the wheelchair is too high it won't get get on [we would have dealt] with that - it would have been wrong but at least we would have known and could have gone with a different airline, it wouldn't have got to that point.
"It was going to be a lads trip. He's got two male carers and they're like his mates. He was so looking forward to it. He's been on Google Earth planning where he can and can't go because obviously in his wheelchair there's going to be lots of places he can't go.
"I'm absolutely gutted for him. It was within reach - I think that's the worst thing, that it was within reach and it happened the way it did."
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "In order to ensure that passengers travelling with their own electric wheelchair can be accommodated, an electric mobility device form must be completed prior to their flight. Unfortunately, this passenger provided incorrect dimensions for his wheelchair, which transpired to exceed the maximum dimensions to safely load onto the aircraft.
"Regrettably, this passenger was unable to fly as the wheelchair would not safely fit into the hold. As incorrect dimensions were provided, we were unable to pre-notify this passenger that his wheelchair would not fit.”
