BBC reporter stuck on empty plane for 90 minutes at Heathrow after wheelchair lost
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Just when is the UK’s premier airport going to stop treating disabled passengers this way?” Later, he tweeted: “Finally got off the plane exactly 100 mins after landing. I’ve had better treatment in Djibouti.” Mr Gardner said that cabin crew decide if they can find space in the cabin for the wheelchair, adding “BA always let me do this on long haul. It’s a basic human right.” A spokesperson for Heathrow said: “We apologise unreservedly if the service Mr Gardner received today fell short of the experience we aim to provide to our passengers. The Civil Aviation Authority stipulates: “On arrival, your wheelchair or mobility aid should be returned to you at the arrival gate, unless there are extenuating reasons.” Last year Mr Gardner was stuck on an easyJet aircraft after it arrived at Gatwick from the French Alps, after special assistance failed to turn up to meet the flight.
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