Negative wheelchair experience with Virgin MEL -ADL return flight. Your solutions ple

[joyvee]

Need your advice on how best to publicize my experience and ensure that this doesn't happen to anyone else in same situation.
We were travelling for 3 night stay in Adelaide. My husband is almost 86 and has limited mobility for distance although he can manage inside plane and up a flight of stairs albeit slowly. He also has limited vision.
Obviously could have flown with Tiger or Jetstar but thought Virgin was worth extra money as I thought they would offer more certainty with wheelchair provision and service. First I rang Virgin to as retain likely availability of wheelchair prior to booking flight. Booked flights, requested wheelchair for all flights and received confirmation of this via email. Check in at MEL and wheelchair pushed by Virgin staff member to lounge and then along to air bridge. Good service as expected.
Arrived in ADL, husband was pushed from plane to lounge where I was asked if l could push him rest of way. Had a motorized wheelchair and obliged.
Return trip I was given wheelchair at check in to push to ADL LOUNGE, staff took husband from there. When I questioned staff why staff had not pushed wheelchair I was told it was too much of an Occupational Health and safety issue as they would be pushing passengers all the time!!
At Melbourne lounge I was expected to push husband again from lounge.

This experience was new to me as all other requests with other airlines have involved staff pushing husband all the way from check in to plane door or from plane door to baggage collection at very least.

It is not easy for an older woman to push 96 kg husband and his hand luggage as well as manage my own. I feel their has been a dereliction of duty on Virgin s part and a direct lack of duty of care for passenger welfare. Who would have been liable if I had run into another traveller, injured myself, had a heart attack or a back injury? Doubt my insurance would cover it!

What is Virgin airlines responsibility and liability in the situation above? I would appreciate your feedback on this situation. I also need to know best way to inform Virgin airlines of my negative experience and tell other prospective passengers about the possible consequences of booking wheelchair access with Virgin.

If this ever arises again I need some legal words to rebut staff view that they can abrogate their responsibility . I obviously need to be more assertive. Are there Duty Managers? Shame we have lost our Discrimination Ombudsman. You help would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[junbugging]

Re: Negative wheelchair experience with Virgin MEL -ADL return flight. Your solutions

My advice would be to keep any complaint succinct and factual. Something along the lines of "this is what I expected; this is what I got... what should I expect in future?" And cite precisely what was confirmed to you via email, and where the actual service differed from that.

I'd suggest avoiding phrases like "dereliction of duty", "abrogate their responsibility", and "lack of duty of care for passenger welfare".

 

[Melburnian1]

Re: Negative wheelchair experience with Virgin MEL -ADL return flight. Your solutions

Yes, as well as keeping it succinct and factual, also remain polite.

Don't threaten the airline with taking them to the leftie anti-discrimination board or similar.

If you do not receive a reply within 14 days, again contact VA.

On the second occasion use Australia Post, and pay for a registered letter with a reply receipt mailed back to you so you know the airline received it. Its corporate address from memory is in Spring Hill or Bowen Hills in Brisbane: mailing address is on the website somewhere. This can be very effective, because it is not 'just another email' but shows that you have gone to some effort.

Mention your age and your husband's age.

Diffcult for me to fathom why it's allegedly an 'OH & S' issue as apart from the person pushing having to bend down a bit on occasion, pushing an individual in a wheelchair is not overly difficult for an adult who themselves does not have any mobility problems and who is aged 18-59. What VA may mean is that 'shock horror, we 'd have to employ additional staff to do this, and we prefer not to'.

This must risk becoming an increasing problem as the Australian population ages.

I hope however that there isn't a minority who (in a sense) 'abuse' this by essentially being able to walk, but who claim that they 'need' a wheelchair when it's really due to laziness. I'm not suggesting that is the case with your husband.

As a third step there is also the 'Airline Customer (sic) - it means 'passenger' - Advocate'. Its Melbourne mailing address is on all the domestic airline websites. Do not use it until you have undertaken the other couple of steps. Again, send it a registered letter with an Australia Post reply receipt.

Try to keep a record in one place of all contacts with the airline: date, time and substance of each contact.

 

[Milboo]

Re: Negative wheelchair experience with Virgin MEL -ADL return flight. Your solutions

I also wouldn't be making a big deal out of the fact you could have injured yourself, hurt your back etc pushing a 96kg man given that this is the exact same OH&S risk that the staff face when having to use the wheelchairs.

 

[joyvee]

Re: Negative wheelchair experience with Virgin MEL -ADL return flight. Your solutions

Thanks for your positive suggestions. Will follow up. Husband is compromised with limited vision and vertigo as well as walking long distances. I am a cheerful 74, so young by comparison! When you see people in wheelchair do think about how they may be compromised? Severe painful arthritis or unseen injuries from major car accident come to mind. None of us can choose how we age as we enter the downward glide path! Thanks for your sound advice.

 

[clipped_wings]

Re: Negative wheelchair experience with Virgin MEL -ADL return flight. Your solutions

Slightly off topic. We flew to Adelaide recently. There was only one other passenger in Business class with us. When boarding, she was chaired down the aerobridge to the plane, assisted on and seated in Row 1. She had a walking stick and navigated the bathrooms unaided, so her mobility was not completely compromised.

When we landed, husband and I stood back while the FA politely asked her to step into the wheelchair waiting for her on the aerobridge. The poor thing declined and said she'd rather walk thank you very much. There was little room room to overtake once we deplaned, as the FA walked next to her and wheeled her cabin bag.

Soooo - husband, I and 150 other passengers walked behind her. In single file, baby steps. Up the aerobridge, up the ramp and into the terminal. I reckon it took us 20 minutes to walk 30m. The adorable FA was very patient and obliging, but was powerless to do anything other than walk beside her.

I think the wheelchair option should have been diplomatically enforced in this instance. I acknowledge one's right to be self propelled, but this was a case of unbelievable ridiculousness when one passenger holds up an entire plane load of people trying to disembark.

 

[JohnK]

Re: Negative wheelchair experience with Virgin MEL -ADL return flight. Your solutions

When we landed, husband and I stood back while the FA politely asked her to step into the wheelchair waiting for her on the aerobridge. The poor thing declined and said she'd rather walk thank you very much. There was little room room to overtake once we deplaned, as the FA walked next to her and wheeled her cabin bag.

Aren't passengers requiring wheelchair assistance the last to deplane regardless of class of travel? I have witnessed this on Qantas on many occasions.

Also asked for wheelchair assistance for my wife arriving into BKK last week with PG. We waited until everyone deplaned before we deplaned. Wheelchair there waiting for us. Why didn't we just deplane when it was row 4's turn to deplane?