An American Airlines customer took to social media to blast the airline for purportedly failing to provide proper service to disabled passengers.
Instagram influencer Savannah Magnolia (@meltingmagnolia) used a Story on the platform to explain what happened when she flew with her wheelchair.
The experience was not a positive one.
“Traveling with my chair went so well (got it inside the cabin’s front storage closet on all 4 flights this trip!) UNTIL one flight today…” the woman wrote on one of the Story’s slides.
The text was accompanied by a photo of her in her wheelchair.
“One of my wheels got bent all thanks to one dismissive, rude flight attendant,” the text continued.
How the wheelchair was destroyed
The woman claimed the front cabin’s “priority wheelchair closet” can only fit a wheelchair if it is completely empty. The wheelchair must also be slightly disassembled. She claimed that for the first few flights of her trip, flight attendants had no problem helping her stow her chair.
However, she accused an airline worker on her last flight of being rude and destroying her chair before takeoff.
“As the plane doors were closing, we hear from 12 rows back my wheels fall out of that closet clattering onto the ground,” she wrote. “The lead flight attendant was taking out parts of my chair and trying to cram his bags in there even when he was told by ticket/gate agents not to.”
Magnolia said another flight attendant was horrified by the worker’s behavior.
She said her chair was all scratched up when she finally got it back. The wheels were reportedly also bent and no longer aligned.
“On landing & rolling away, we found that in addition to a few new scratches, one of my wheels is now bent and wobbles as it is out of true now,” the woman said.
These complaints are common
Many have used social media to express concerns about the way airlines treat wheelchairs.
Last year, a video of an airline employee mishandling a wheelchair went viral. It sparked a spirited discussion about the difficulties passengers experience while traveling with their mobility aid devices.
In another instance, a TikToker called out United Airlines after she said the company failed to properly store her wheelchair. Additionally, she claimed the airline failed to offer her preboarding or provide her with accessible seating on her flight.
“I’m well aware there is sadly much, much more catastrophic wheelchair damage by airlines everyday, & I’m so grateful we had a mostly great travel experience, but like my chair was SAFELY INSIDE THE CABIN,” text on Magnolia’s Story explained.
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently stepped in to propose a new rule to hold airlines accountable for damaging mobility devices.
According to an AARP article, “The proposal requires that airlines that damage or delay the return of a wheelchair will be in violation of the Air Carrier Access Act and subject to a fine.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Savannah Magnolia via Instagram direct message and comment. It also emailed American Airlines for more information.
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