Man Told He Was Too Disabled To Fly

[Family Ties Forever!]

I think they should have let him fly.

link

Man Told He Was Too Disabled To Fly Wheelchair-Bound Man Has Dystonia

Posted: 12:35 pm CDT June 8, 2007

Jacksonville, Fla. -- A Jacksonville man who's confined to a wheelchair said he was not allowed on an airplane because of his disability.

Andy Gates has dystonia -- a neuro-muscular disease. He said he should be in Wisconsin, but he is still in Jacksonville because while getting ready to board a U.S. Airways flight on Wednesday airline workers told him they could not let him travel on his own.

"They said I was too disabled to fly alone. I don't have enough words to describe how angry I am," Gates said.

He said he wanted to fly to Wisconsin from Jacksonville. He checked his bags at the ticket counter and waited at the gate to get on the plane, but just before he started to board he said a U.S. Airways employee would not let him on the plane.

"We went to the gate and they told me I could not fly. … not alone," Gates said.

He said after being told he was too disabled to fly he felt outraged and discriminated against.

Gates said that he's flown seven times in the past by himself, even on U.S. Airways, and never had a problem.

Gates said the airline manager told him at the last minute that he could fly if his mother, Patsy Gates, accompanied him.

"He says to me, 'You have six minutes to make a decision on whether to go. You can go with him or he cannot go. You have six minutes,'" she said. "Meanwhile, I am parked in a 30 minutes parking zone, and I'm having surgery tomorrow, and they did not guarantee me a way back."

The airline issued a statement on Thursday stating: "U.S. Airways personnel determined that (Gates) would not be able to assist in his own evacuation in the event of an emergency. We feel that our employees acted appropriately and followed both company and federal policy in this situation."

The Department of Transportation handles complaints like that of Gates. There is a law in place that says a person with mobility impairment so severe that they are unable to assist evacuation can be denied travel.

However, Gates said he can move and demonstrated that he is able to get into his chair. He said he offered to show that to the airline.

He said he could control his legs and arms.

"I have a college degree. I am completely intelligent. I can make my own decisions. I don't know why I was denied," Gates said.

The airline said it would refund Gates' money, but it could take several days. Gates said he was planning to take a flight on a different airline on Saturday.

Distributed by Internet Broadcasting.

[Janice]

That's a sad story. If he was able to take care of himself and had his faculties, then he should have been able to fly. They let kids fly alone.

[catlover79]

I don't blame him for being angry. I'd be furious, too.

[TripperFan]

I think the problem was that he wouldn't be able to evacuate himself if there was an emergency. At least a child can be directed what to do by flight attendants - he couldn't manuever a wheelchair around the same. The airline has to think of any situation where they could be sued. And his family would likely sue if there was a crash landing situation and nobody could help him.
It's different than people ordering up wheelchairs at the airport just to assist because they can't walk long distances - he was totally confined to the chair.
Sad - just makes you appreciate being able to walk all the more.

[AB]

They should have let him fly, they could have asked one of the other passengers for help if there were any problems.

[TripperFan]

Originally Posted by annball1957

They should have let him fly, they could have asked one of the other passengers for help if there were any problems.

Their legal team would never have allowed that. Had something happened and a passenger was left responsible for another passenger, not only would the airline be liable, but so would the passenger who assisted.

I know it's sickening that they have to follow those rules, but previous lawsuits that people bring to "good samaritans" ruined it for everyone.

There was a time where doctors indicated they were doctors on their license plates. That stopped in around the early 70s when they would be hailed to assist someone in trouble, that person wouldn't make it, so their family would sue whoever assisted and especially if it was a doctor. Sad but reality.

[Hollow]

Originally Posted by TripperFan

I think the problem was that he wouldn't be able to evacuate himself if there was an emergency. At least a child can be directed what to do by flight attendants - he couldn't manuever a wheelchair around the same. The airline has to think of any situation where they could be sued. And his family would likely sue if there was a crash landing situation and nobody could help him.
It's different than people ordering up wheelchairs at the airport just to assist because they can't walk long distances - he was totally confined to the chair.
Sad - just makes you appreciate being able to walk all the more.

yeah, i was thinking something like that. the article seems a little one-sided to be honest. the fact that the airline people said he could travel if assisted by someone else hints that there was a little more to it than "you're not allowed on here cuz you're not like the rest of us."

if it was for safety reasons though, then i think they should make some kind of clarifications beforehand that wheelchair-bound people need assistance if they want to fly.

[TripperFan]

Originally Posted by safety pin

yeah, i was thinking something like that. the article seems a little one-sided to be honest. the fact that the airline people said he could travel if assisted by someone else hints that there was a little more to it than "you're not allowed on here cuz you're not like the rest of us."

if it was for safety reasons though, then i think they should make some kind of clarifications beforehand that wheelchair-bound people need assistance if they want to fly.

Actually they do - it's on all their websites. (I know because I had to get my mother a wheelchair when we went to Dallas years ago). I'm surprised a big deal was made of this to make the news actually. I'm sure it happens a lot. As you say, there's definitely more to it and I think it probably was a friend, family member or whatever of the guy who contacted the media to make the airline look bad - maybe hoping for a refund or something.