Disabled Passenger Says He Was Forced To Drag Himself Off A Plane After Airline's Blunder

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An airline mishap led to a disabled passenger dragging himself 12 rows towards the front of the aircraft.

Rodney Hodgins, a 49-year-old wheelchair user from British Columbia, claimed that Air Canada failed to provide him with the necessary assistance upon landing.

In August, Rodney and his wife Deanna had plans to celebrate their wedding anniversary on a flight from Vancouver to Las Vegas.

Rodney, who has spastic cerebral palsy, typically relies on a narrow aisle chair due to the width of his regular wheelchair.

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It's common for airline staff to provide a small aisle chair, a narrow wheelchair with handles after all passengers have disembarked when Rodney travels.

To their disbelief, when they arrived at their destination, they were informed that Rodney had to make his way to the front of the aircraft unaided, as there was no assistance or aisle seat available.

Rodney and Deanna initially thought this was a joke.

Rodney voiced his concern, "How am I supposed to get to the front of the plane when I can't walk? If I didn't need a wheelchair, I wouldn't have been sitting there."

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Left with no alternative, Rodney had to painfully drag himself to the front of the aircraft using his arms, with Deanna crawling behind to help.

Despite the presence of eight cleaning staff members, the captain, co-pilot, two flight attendants, and the entire Air Canada flight crew, no one took action.

Rodney explained, "It was quite painful, and it hurt my legs. I felt terrible for three days during my holiday."

His primary concern was the apparent lack of consideration for passengers with disabilities.

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Deanna recounted the painful struggle they faced, with her trying to help Rodney get to the front of the plane despite his spasms.

After reaching the front of the aircraft, Rodney was able to transfer into his motorized wheelchair.

While they continued their vacation, Rodney experienced excruciating pain for several days following the incident.

The airline issued a statement indicating that they rely on a third-party wheelchair assistance specialist in Las Vegas.

They promised to evaluate alternative Mobility Assistance service providers in Las Vegas following an investigation into the service lapse.

Rodney mentioned receiving a call from Air Canada customer service offering a $2,000 flight voucher for future travel.

However, his primary request was for the airline to revise its policies to ensure continuous assistance for passengers with disabilities upon disembarkation.

He expressed his hope that such distressing incidents would be prevented for other travelers in the future.