A passenger who landed at Vancouver International Airport says he almost lost his foot to a septic injury after he was left stranded on a British Airways flight for hours — and was only able to exit the plane after paramedics loaded him onto two airline food trolleys.

Geoffrey Schneiderman, 63, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, says the incident left him not only with necrotic tissue in his foot, but also with lingering trauma and anxiety about confined spaces.

“It was as though it was happening to somebody else. There were parts of it, I remember, I was just closing my eyes knowing I am completely trapped,” he said.

“It was terror. It was just terror.”

British Airways has not responded to a CBC News request for an interview. Vancouver’s airport said in a statement the report is “deeply concerning” and it is investigating.

  • Technus@lemmy.zip
    25·
    10 months ago

    It doesn’t sound like they just left him there:

    Upon landing, crew members on the British Airways flight said the Vancouver airport did not have an eagle lift — a piece of equipment used to help passengers in wheelchairs safely exit aircraft. After two hours of confusion and several failed attempts to get Schneiderman off the plane, paramedics were called to assist.

    They didn’t have the right equipment or training to properly help him (there’s your cost-cutting for you), and repeatedly tried and failed to move him before calling paramedics to get him off. And even the paramedics almost dropped him:

    They slid the backboard under Schneiderman, then lifted him onto the top of two trolleys normally reserved for serving passengers food and drinks during the flight. Schneiderman’s head and legs hung off either end.

    Because the two trolleys were not attached to each other, they slid apart as the paramedics rolled Schneiderman down the airplane aisle. His partner, who was travelling with him, watched in horror.

    It’s not clear whether he was injured from sitting there or from the failed attempts to move him, possibly both.

    Then they just dragged him to his wheelchair like a ragdoll:

    Once out of the plane and on the connection bridge, Schneiderman was dragged to his wheelchair.

    “They pulled from under my arms and just dragged me. My shoes came off my trousers actually started coming off,” he said.

    Just utter incompetence all around.