October 1st 2024.
It's 2024 and Frank Gardner, a security correspondent for BBC, has just had a shocking experience on a flight back from Warsaw. Frank, who was left paralyzed by an al-Qaeda attack in Saudi Arabia in 2004, had to crawl along the floor of the plane to get to the toilet because there was no wheelchair on board. He took to social media to share his experience, posting a picture of himself on the floor with the caption, "Wow. It's 2024 and I've just had to crawl along the floor of this LOT Polish airline to get to the toilet during a flight back from Warsaw as 'we don't have onboard wheelchairs. It's airline policy'."
Frank expressed his frustration and disappointment with the airline's policy, calling it discriminatory towards disabled individuals. He also acknowledged the helpfulness and apologies from the cabin crew, but made it clear that it was the airline's fault and he won't be flying with them again until they join the 21st century.
His followers on social media showed their support and outrage at the situation. One user wrote, "How is this still happening in 2024?! Absolutely appalling." Another replied, "Oh for goodness sake, that's unbelievable. Hope you're okay." Frank responded, "Bit of a sore backside and my suit is not thrilled but hey."
Frank has been using a wheelchair since the al-Qaeda attack in 2004, which left him with damage to his spinal nerves and a colostomy bag. He spoke about the experience on the flight in an interview on BBC Breakfast, calling it "outrageous" and "inhumane" to make passengers crawl to the toilet.
In 2020, Frank fronted a documentary called "Being Frank: The Frank Gardner Story" where he wanted to show the realities of life as a disabled person, which are often not talked about. He said, "People look at somebody in a wheelchair, like me, and they probably think 'poor guy, I wonder if he needs a bit of help?'. What they don't see is all the stuff that we have to deal with beneath the surface."
In the documentary, Frank also opened up about the pain he still suffers from the attack, where he was shot multiple times, including at point blank range. He said, "My insides were shot to pieces." Despite the ongoing pain and challenges, Frank wants people to see that it's still possible to lead a normal life.
The airline, LOT Polish, has since apologized for the distressing experience that Frank encountered. In a statement, they explained that while onboard wheelchairs are available on their Dreamliner aircraft, their short-haul fleet does not yet have this facility due to limited space. They are actively testing solutions to equip their short-haul aircraft with onboard wheelchairs in the near future.
They also mentioned that for long-haul flights, they provide onboard wheelchairs and their ground staff is always ready to assist passengers. They expressed their regret and apologized for the inconvenience and distress caused to Frank, and promised to improve their services to ensure a comfortable and dignified travel experience for all passengers.
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