Disabled UK journalist crawls on flight as airlines offers no wheelchair
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New Delhi: A disabled British journalist was forced to crawl on the cabin floor as the LOT Polish Airlines flight had no wheelchair onboard.
Frank Gardner, a seasoned BBC correspondent, lost his legs while reporting war in the Middle East in 2004.
Frank Gardner was on the way back from Warsaw when he had to face the ‘shocking’ situation.
Taking to platform X, Gardner said he needed to use toilet but the flight had no onboard wheelchairs, when he crawled.
Gardner said he crawled along the cabin floor to get to the toilet while frying from Warsaw after he was told that ‘we don’t have onboard wheelchairs. It’s airline policy’.
Gardner however did not blame cabin crew for the situation saying they did their best under the circumstances.
Gardner said cabin crew were ‘helpful and apologetic as they could be’, adding he said it was not their fault.
Gardner said he would not be flying LOT airlines again until ‘they join the 21st century’.
Known for his reporting from most dangerous regions, Frank Gardner was covering a story in Riyadh in 2004 when he was ambushed by Al-Qaeda gunmen, leaving him partially paralysed.
Many on social media expressed shock at the report of Gardner crawling to the toilet, with one user saying ‘Sorry, Frank. This is pretty tough on anyone and degrading’.
The incident triggered discussion online on the difficulties that disabled passengers face onboard flights.
However, LOT Polish Airlines has not yet responded officially to the matter.
