My-Daybreak.org

On Nov 16, my sister, her wheelchair-bound daughter( cerebral palsy), 14-year-old son (cerebral palsy), 2-year-old niece and maid were stopped from boarding Firefly flight FY2066 departing from Subang Airport for Kota Baru at 2.40pm.

My sister said that when she went through the normal check-in procedures at Subang, she informed the check-in staff that her party included a wheelchair-bound 12 year-old.

At the point of entry into the plane, a staff member stopped my sister when she noticed that my niece was not able to walk by herself from the wheelchair to board the plane. She said it was the airline’s policy not to accept anybody unable to walk on their own to their seat.

My sister told her that her daughter is totally wheelchair-bound and needed to be carried from the wheelchair to the seat.

My sister stressed that she could carry her daughter herself. However, the staff member insisted that my niece would not allowed to board the plane.

My sister explained to the crew that she had informed check-in officials about her wheelchair-bound daughter, but the staff member accused her of making a false declaration. Then the ground manager arrived to talk my sister out of boarding the plane.

After 40 minutes of negotiation, the crew finally allowed my sister and entourage to board the flight with a strong warning that would be ” the first and the last time” they allowed her wheelchair-bound daughter to board.

My sister was scheduled to fly back to Kuala Lumpur with Firefly flight FY2063  on Dec 6.  But after the embarassing encounter at Subang, she decided to fly  back on another budget airline.

Aziyah Omar
Kuala Lumpur

New Straits Times