The Leader Newspaper

Ms Ireti Olusanya 26-12-2010 / 10:17

On 22 December 2010, my 80 year old disabled mother and myself arrived at Alicante Airport at 5.45am. I collected a wheelchair and wheeled her into the airport. We checked in with Ryanair for flight No. FR 8383. At 06.18 we obtained a wheel chair “Request for Assistance” form. However no assistance was provided. The gate departure time was 07.55am.
Our boarding passes stated that the “Cabin Bag (55 x 40 x 20 cm), whereas the blue luggage containers at the airport measure 42 x 47 cm. Why is this?
We were the first at Gate N0. 10, but deliberately left to wait until all the passengers had boarded. No assistance was provided for my mother who was in a wheelchair to board the plane and after Ryanair staff demanded Euros 70 to check in 2 bags, I gave her my credit card and she said “the gate is closed”. Thereby denying us both our rights to board a Ryanair plane Flight FR8383 to Stansted airport, contravening EC Regulation NO. 261/2004 at 07.55am, despite having valid passports and boarding passes. Another passenger Mr Dale Barton was wheeled past us in a wheelchair in front of us and he saw us both there at the gate and he was put on the plane with assistance . I naturally could not understand why we were denied boarding and went downstairs and the Police were called by Ryanair. I understand that Mr Barton was later removed from the plane, as the Ryanair staff had lost his passport. He was given a replacement ticket, free of charge to travel to Stansted on 23 December 2010, while we were both left stranded. Mr Barton had paid £17,000 for an operation at Kings Hospital in London and was supposed to be there that day. Not only where we left stranded, but we were both detained by the Police at the airport, separately, and also our luggage was separated from us also. I did not know where my mother or our luggage was and she didn’t know where I was either or our luggage.
We were denied our rights to re-routing to our final destination or re-imbursements. We had no assistance, no food, no rights to care or duty of care, no meals no refreshment vouchers, no rights even to use a toilet without a police women present, no rights to a copy of a form the police asked me to complete either. A Swissport complaint form was only given to the Police at the airport and they refused to give it to me to complete.
The police refused to allow me to enquire about alternative flights to London at Swissport Ticket Desk for Ryanair. I was manhandled by two policemen, dragged across the Terminal with my trousers down by my ankles, exposing all my underwear, infront of hundreds of passengers at the Terminal. My hat dropped to the floor and I was left shouting “my hat, my hat”. It would have also been lost if I had not alerted them to that fact. Later we discovered that 1 banana, a bag of biscuits and my bottle of water was missing. As our luggage had been taken from us, we realized that they were missing when it was returned to us , while still detained by the police at the airport.
We were denied any rights to replacement tickets, unlike Mr Dale Barton’s treatment. We would have to pay Euros 292.32. We were denied any rights to remain in the terminal, whereby we could try and obtain an alternative means of travelling to London on 2 flights that left at 11.05am to Gatwick or EZY3168 at 11.10 to Stansted, the same day, because the Police at the airport detained us.
We were deliberately left stranded at Alicante Airport.
While detained by the police, a female police woman accompanied us both to the toilet and remained in the room with us, while we both used the toilet. We have both been denied any dignity or respect. When we requested water this was refused. When I asked where our own bottle of water was, no police could give us answers.
When the Police at the airport manhandled me to their section, I met my mother, still with my trousers down by my ankles. My mother was very distressed. We were not given a complaint form to complete while detained by the police, despite the fact that they had ben handed one from the Swissport office, because they refused to let the Swisssport office hand it to me.
Why did our luggage get separated from us and why were things missing from it?
We were given a form to complete while detained by the police, but denied a copy of it. We have not been given a form explaining why we were detained.
We were only released when a lady came from the wheelchair assistance department to say we could go. Go where? By this time we were really and truly stranded.
When I went to enquire about a replacement flight to Stansted at Swissair Ticket Desk, the lady I spoke to was extremely hostile. She said “we were the last to board”, whereas despite being the first two at Gate No. 10, were refused any opportunity to board at all. She demanded “that we pay Euros 292.32 for two new tickets to Stansted on 23 December 2010, as Ryanair is a low cost company”. There is no other flight to Stansted on 22 December” and then she refused to communicate with me again and got up and went.
Under European Regulation {EU} No. 261/2004, we both request compensation for denied boarding, rights to re-imbursement for exisiting tickets and additional purchased tickets to Stansted from Alicante, denied wheelchair assistance, denied any assistance other than to render us stranded.
Loss of personal belongings,
Damages for manhandling me, shameful, embarrassment and humiliation and indignity of being carried across the terminal with my trousers down by my ankles in full view of hundreds of passengers waiting to check in
Damages for being left stranded at Alicante Airport
Denied dignity or respect for our care, wellbeing or health
Denied any access to any opportunity to immediately re-arrange our flight departure the same day
Denied any duty of care
Denied meals, refreshments, telephone calls, hotel accommodation, transport to and fro etc.
I do hope this complaint will be taken seriously and changes made that will help all vulnerable people.
Yours sincerely,
Ireti Olusanya, 2 Sutton Square, Hackney, London E9 6EQ