A Ryanair passenger who is paralysed from the waist down has described his “humiliation” after being forced to drag himself up the stairs of a coach when his flight was diverted.
Spencer Watts, 27, was returning from a family holiday in Lanzarote on 17 February, when his Ryanair flight was unexpectedly diverted from Bristol to Birmingham.
The wheelchair user told Ryanair cabin crew that he required an accessible coach for his transfer back home, which he claims staff assured him would be arranged, reports the Daily Mail.
Upon arrival at Birmingham Airport, however, no suitable transport was available.
Mr Watts, who was travelling with his partner and two young children, claims that a desk advisor at the airport told him Ryanair had not made the ground handler aware he needed special assistance.
Distressing video footage shows Mr Watts pulling himself up the six steep coach steps backwards, using his hands and arms to drag his body along the ground.
The sales advisor from Tiverton in Devon described the experience as “humiliating”, alleging that Ryanair “failed their duty of care”.
He said: “My assistance at the airport had been booked a month in advance.
“They were fully aware that there was someone on that aircraft in a wheelchair that needed assistance on and off the aeroplane.
“I was left with no option but to bum shuffle onto a coach.
“I [felt] so embarrassed and humiliated in terms of having to do that in a crowded audience of people.”
Mr Watts added that the experience put him at “high risk” of developing pressure sores and “becoming bedbound for at least a few months.”
He said: “Pressure sores are a big thing for us.
“It's not exactly a comfortable manoeuvre for me to have to drag myself along the floor.”
He said that the experience had been upsetting for his whole family, particularly his son who is severely autistic and who expressed concern about how he would get off the coach in the event of a fire.
“The upset, and the uproar for my family, all of us, wasn't needed and could have been avoided really easily,” he said.
“I would not fly with Ryanair again until I get an apology from them. They failed their duty of care.”
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “This flight from Alicante to Bristol diverted to Birmingham due to adverse weather conditions at Bristol Airport.
“Special assistance at Birmingham Airport is managed a third-party provider - not Ryanair.
“As the flight was not planned to arrive at Birmingham Airport, special assistance at Birmingham Airport had not been pre-arranged, however the crew of this flight requested special assistance upon arrival at Birmingham Airport, which the provider at Birmingham Airport failed to provide.”
The Independent has contacted Birmingham Airport for comment.
