Photo: Facebook / Jon Morrow
An Austin, Texas man is blasting Southwest Airlines for refusing to accommodate him on a flight despite the fact that he was willing to provide both the equipment and the trained personnel for it to happen.
In a lengthy post on Facebook, Jon Morrow says that he is paralyzed from the neck down and has brittle bones, which means transfer from the airport to the cabin seat is impossible both by hand and the small aisle chair many airports in the U.S. provide. When he travels abroad, Morrow uses a $15,000 medical device he bought himself called the Eagle Lift, which is also used in airports in many European countries.
The Eagle is legal and safe, and when he booked flights with Southwest, he made sure to inform them of this. He included a notice from his doctor explaining why he couldn’t be transferred to the plane otherwise and stressed that he would bring the Eagle and 3 caretakers trained to handle it.
Initially, the airline company responded positively. Then, days before the scheduled flight, they reached out to Morrow telling him that the Eagle would be an “undue burden," so he was left with 2 choices: be transported by hand by airport staff or have a firefighter unit come in and transfer him, also by hand.
“Mind you, this is a device that is standard operating procedure for all passengers in wheelchairs outside the U.S.,” Morrow writes. “It’s been used safely on thousands of flights. I’m also providing the Eagle and trained personnel at MY expense. Still they refuse. They dig in their heels. They tell me the decision cannot be appealed further.”
He pleaded with the company but was told the matter was a closed one. “I'm making it as easy as I can for them. But they won't do it the easy way. So let's do it the hard way,” he writes. “People in wheelchairs should be able to fly. Let's take this one small step toward making it happen and approve my flight.”
Morrow’s story went viral, but Southwest still wouldn’t let him board his flight in safe conditions. The airline also refused to comment on the incident, but JetBlue reached out to the passenger. Morrow eventually boarded a plane with the rival company, where he was welcomed with open arms – and staffers eager to see the Eagle in action.
The Eagle is legal and safe, and when he booked flights with Southwest, he made sure to inform them of this. He included a notice from his doctor explaining why he couldn’t be transferred to the plane otherwise and stressed that he would bring the Eagle and 3 caretakers trained to handle it.
Initially, the airline company responded positively. Then, days before the scheduled flight, they reached out to Morrow telling him that the Eagle would be an “undue burden," so he was left with 2 choices: be transported by hand by airport staff or have a firefighter unit come in and transfer him, also by hand.
“Mind you, this is a device that is standard operating procedure for all passengers in wheelchairs outside the U.S.,” Morrow writes. “It’s been used safely on thousands of flights. I’m also providing the Eagle and trained personnel at MY expense. Still they refuse. They dig in their heels. They tell me the decision cannot be appealed further.”
He pleaded with the company but was told the matter was a closed one. “I'm making it as easy as I can for them. But they won't do it the easy way. So let's do it the hard way,” he writes. “People in wheelchairs should be able to fly. Let's take this one small step toward making it happen and approve my flight.”
Morrow’s story went viral, but Southwest still wouldn’t let him board his flight in safe conditions. The airline also refused to comment on the incident, but JetBlue reached out to the passenger. Morrow eventually boarded a plane with the rival company, where he was welcomed with open arms – and staffers eager to see the Eagle in action.
Google News