Passenger crawls off plane after allegedly being asked to pay for wheelchair service
Jetstar says there was a miscommunication between the staff and passenger
A Jetstar passenger with a disability says she was humiliated after having to crawl off the airplane in order to get to her wheelchair.
The carrier is arguing that it was all a misunderstanding.
Video of Australian passenger Natalie Curtis surfaced over the weekend, showing Curtis using her hands to lift her body down the plane's aisle after it landed in Bangkok.
After the plane landed, Curtis was reportedly told that she would have to pay extra to use a special wheelchair that fits in the plane's aisle, which would transfer her from her seat to her own wheelchair, according to multiple reports.
AIR TRAVEL COMPLAINTS UP NEARLY 270% ABOVE PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS
She said she refused the service because it is normally free, according to local Australian news outlet, 7NEWS Townsville.
When Curtis first boarded the flight in Singapore, she was offered the special wheelchair service for free, the Daily Mail reported.
Curtis told 7NEWS Townsville that she will never fly with the Australian low-cost airline again after feeling humiliated and degraded.
AIRLINE COMPLAINTS NEARLY TRIPLED IN MAY COMPARED WITH SAME PRE-PANDEMIC MONTH
"Definitely the most humiliating experience I have had traveling," Curtis wrote on her Facebook page, adding that she "most definitely did not do this for attention."
A Jetstar spokesperson told FOX Business that it is "looking into what happened as a matter of urgency."
"We are committed to providing a safe and comfortable travel experience for all our customers, including those requiring specific assistance," the spokesperson said. "Regrettably, this was not the case for Ms. Curtis following a miscommunication that resulted in the delay of an aisle chair being made available at the gate on arrival."
Still, the carrier said that "at no point was an aisle chair withheld due to a request for payment." Under its policy, Jetstar Airways does not require payment for the use of an aisle chair.
The carrier also said it reached out to Curtis to offer her a refund "as well as additional compensation"
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Natalie Curtis has not immediately responded to a request for comment.