A Canadian airline pilot mistakenly told a man who uses a motorized wheelchair that he could not board the flight because the battery connected to his mobility aid posed a “dangerous threat,” according to a report.
Ken Harrower said a Porter Airlines pilot asked about his power seat and then prevented him from boarding a flight at Calgary International Airport en route to Toronto Sunday.
“[He] asked me … ‘can the battery be disconnected?’ I told him no. And then … he said I was a dangerous threat, then he left and left us in a hurry,” Harrower told CBC News.
Strangely Harrower was then just booked onto another flight by airline staff, leading him to believe the pilot had his own rules.
“I feel like I’m being discriminated against because I’m on a chair,” he told the outlet. “My seat of power is my legs, that’s how I move. I can’t stand, I can’t walk, so I have to do it [it].”
Ken Harrower said he was not allowed to board a Porter Airlines flight at Calgary International Airport because of the battery in his wheelchair. Facebook
The airline admitted the pilot messed up.
“The captain who made the decision to deny boarding did so based on his knowledge of Transport Canada’s regulations regarding batteries,” the airline said in a statement to CBC News.
“While there are some circumstances that the battery needs to be completely removed from the wheelchair, it is not necessary in this situation.”
Porter Airlines has admitted their pilot failed and should have allowed Harrower to board the Toronto-bound flight. Getty Images
Porter explained wheelchairs similar to the Harrower don’t require the battery to be completely removed, but simply disconnected, which ground operators are able to do.
The airline said its CEO was in contact with Harrower to offer a personal refund, cover any expenses caused by the delay and provide further flight credit.
Harrower and Erin Brandenburg, who had worked together, were told on another flight two weeks ago that his power chair was safe to fly because it had a gel battery, according to the outlet.
“Porter sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience and personal impact this has caused Ken,” the airline said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
