A mum has shared what it is really like to travel through Leeds Bradford Airport with a disabled child following the ongoing issues with queues, staffing, cancellations and delays.
Elizabeth Herriev was looking forward to a trip to Mahon, Spain, with her family but was left feeling "pretty anxious" and worried her disabled daughter would be "left on the plane". The recent set backs at airports have left a number of disabled passengers reporting they have been left "stuck" on aeroplanes due to lack of staff to help assist.
This left the mum-of-two concerned for how her daughter who is "not the best traveller at the best of times", would manage without assistance coming on and off the plane. But with the holiday already booked and paid for, Elizabeth arrived at the Yeadon airport around 3am on Monday, May 30 with her two children and husband Paul around 6.18am to find "massive queues".
Read more: Passengers 'stuck' on Ryanair plane on Leeds Bradford Airport runway plead 'let us off'
The paediatric consultant pre-booked special assistance for her 16-year-old daughter Amy who suffers a number of disabilities - down syndrome, poor mobility, breathing difficulties. "We were taking Amy’s wheelchair and the ventilator she uses overnight.
"We also used a sunflower lanyard in the hope that it might alert people to the fact that Amy might struggle in certain situations. She can’t stand for long, can’t walk far and struggles with steps", Elizabeth said.
She added: "We were pretty anxious as we’d heard about the long queues, delays, and also about people with disabilities being left stranded on planes. My husband dropped our luggage off the night before with the twilight check-in and we’d already arranged for special assistance.
"Amy gets incredibly anxious when in new situations and especially when places are busy or noisy. She often reacts by crying, shouting, sometimes lashing out because she’s scared.
"We arrived about 3 hours before our flight and the queue for security was massive. Amy got upset just going into the building."
Elizabeth, from Sherrigham, Norfolk, said that there is "no way" she could have gone abroad with her husband, 10-year-old son Toby, and Amy, without the help of the special assistance team. "They were fab", she said.
"They took us through to the front of the queue for security where we waited about 15 minutes or so for our turn. I felt a bit guilty passing everyone else in the queue but honestly this was the only way we were going to get through and manage the trip."
She added: "At security Amy got very upset - lots of noise, lot of strange people, and she didn’t understand why we had to hand our things (like her prized iPad) over to strangers. She got very upset, crying and shouting.
"The staff were very patient and understanding. One member of staff noticed Amy screaming and pulled us to one side to give her some space."
Elizabeth said that when it was time to board the flight, queues were still present so staff took Amy off to one side to give her space from the "hustle and bustle". "We were helped onto the plane by a special lift, so Amy could stay in her wheelchair until the last moment.
"This was really scary for her but the staff were great, making her laugh with fist bumps and distracting her from the noise and movement. We were welcomed onto the plane and the canon crew checked we were ok.
"The trip through the airport had been better than expected. When we landed we were reassured by the cabin crew that they’d make sure we weren’t waiting long to get off the plane and the special assistance team at Mahon were great.
"They got us through check-in and security as quickly as possible and kept us updated about possible delays. Amy had a few upsets, including crying and sobbing when going through security again, but the team were patient and understanding.
"The cabin crew checked we were ok on board and when we landed we were helped off and through the terminal swiftly. I can’t fault anyone. Yes, there were still tears, Amy still got upset and it was still really stressful and tiring, but it could have been so much worse."
Elizabeth said despite her initial anxiety and tackling the airport "chaos", the family had a relaxing and fun holiday. The family-of-four flew home on Monday (June 6) at 10.55 and said the special assistance teams were "great".
"There is no way we could hope to travel abroad as a family without the support we received", Elizabeth said.
READ NEXT:
