Disabled woman forced off Singapore-Thailand flight as a result of lack of wheelchair

An airline has apologized after a lady was forced to crawl off the plane because staff were unable to offer her with a wheelchair in time to disembark.

Curtis told Australian Channel 7 breakfast show Sunrise that she was offered a typical wheelchair to board the plane in Singapore.

When Curtis arrived in Bangkok, she said staff told her she would must pay to make use of one other chair when exiting the plane, which she refused to do. Jetstar denies receiving a payment request.

Curtis told the news channel that the incident can have been as a result of a language barrier between her and the airline staff.

Because her traveling companion had a knee injury and was unable to assist her, Curtis found she had no alternative but to get off the plane by dragging herself down the aisle. Curtis shared video of the incident with 7NEWS Brisbane.

Curtis also posted in regards to the incident in a Facebook group, saying she had “never felt so humiliated in my life.” She couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

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Jetstar said in a press release that the airline apologized for the incident and clarified that it doesn’t charge for the usage of wheelchairs.

“We strive to provide a safe and comfortable journey for all our customers, including those who require special assistance,” it said.

“Unfortunately, Ms Curtis was not affected as a result of a misunderstanding which resulted in a delay in the availability of a gate aisle chair on arrival, so we’re urgently investigating what happened.

“At no time was an aisle chair refused to be provided as a result of a payment request. Our client team contacted Ms. Curtis to higher understand her experience and offered her a refund and extra compensation.

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Wheelchair users have reported experiencing many other problems on flights, including airlines losing or damaging their seats.

In August, a lady said she felt “humiliated” on a flight after the captain told passengers the plane was delayed due to her wheelchair.