Qantas has apologised for damaging a traveller’s wheelchair, and has offered to pay for repairs following public backlash.
The airline originally denied giving any form of compensation, but when Zoe Simmons made her situation public on social media, the airline changed its mind.
“We appreciate this has been a very frustrating experience for Ms Simmons and we sincerely apologise,” a Qantas spokesperson said.
“We have contacted her directly and have offered to pay for the required repairs to her wheelchair.”
When Simmons reported the damage to her chair’s left brake, she was told by a Qantas representative that the damage was “minor”, but advised her to claim damage through her insurance provider.
A damaged brake, Simmons said, prevents her from safely travelling down slopes.
She shared an email response she received from Qantas on Twitter, which read “Airlines do not accept liability for minor damage to breaks [sic], wheels, and handles of your wheelchair. Therefore, I am unable to offer you any financial settlement on this matter.”
Qantas has admitted the situation was mishandled and should have been escalated to its advocacy team for further investigation, but Simmons claims that her treatment by the airline is “not good enough”.
She shared her situation on Twitter, gaining over 10,000 likes and 3,000 retweets over a number of tweets about her case.
“How is a damaged brake minor?!?!?! I cannot safely use it”, she tweeted.
Simmons wrote for news.com.au, sharing her experience from the flight, and how her condition; fibromyalgia and adenomyosis causes her to experience severe fatigue and numbness in her arms and legs, making it difficult to walk.
“Both of these conditions mean walking is often extremely painful, and I typically can’t walk for more than a few minutes without significantly worsening my pain,” she said.
Zoe said the problem goes beyond Qantas, and noted that disabled people are forced to self-advocate on a regular basis. She noted that airlines around the world need to be more responsible with disabled customers.
“I shouldn’t have to hope to be an exception to the norm,” she said. “The norm should be that disabled people are looked after, treated well, and able to get the same resolution I’ve been able to get here.
“The system is so broken — and airlines need to do better.”
PHOTO: Qantas by Lasse Fuss is available HERE. The image has been modified and is used under a Creative Commons License
