A pensioner claims that she was shouted at by fellow passengers over fears her electric scooter could “explode” mid-air.
Susan Alty, 69, was returning to Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Cyprus with her son John Alty, 48, on July 4. She claimed Ryanair said the lithium battery wattage on her scooter exceeded the safety specifications.
She claimed that following a back and forth with the airport staff, the pilot decided to set off without the scooter on board.
The mobility scooter was delivered to Susan’s house 23 days after she arrived back and she said the situation has now made her afraid to fly.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport (file pic)
PA
Susan, a retired social worker, from Chorley, said: “I am terrified to fly now. I love that scooter as it makes me totally independent. I have travelled the world with it and never had an issue. I got the scooter back 23 days after I left Paphos and I couldn’t leave the house the whole time.”
She claimed there were not any problems with her scooter on her outbound flight, on May 16, but on the way home Susan said she was told her scooter needed to be checked.
She added: “An hour went by and I was still waiting. Airport staff told me my scooter was 300 watts but I kept saying how it was only 34.1 watts and showed them proof. They then worked it out and said we could go through to the plane and were waiting for the doors to close.”
However, once the plane doors were about to close, she claimed a member of airport staff ran on to say they could not take off while her scooter was on board.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Her scooter arrived 23 days later
PA
She added: “I told him that the scooter is fine and safe to fly but he told me he didn’t believe me. He said he was responsible for everyone’s safety on board and told me I was putting everyone at risk. He told me if I don’t like it I can get off the flight.”
Susan then got up and started walking down the plane with her son when she claimed passengers started chanting “off” and calling her a “b****”.
The airport did eventually depart without the scooter after the captain was given the choice whether she could stay on board or not.
She said: “Another member of the airport staff came running on to say we could stay on the plane and it was down to the captain whether or not the scooter stayed on. The captain decided that we could stay on the flight but they will not take the scooter. They said I would have the scooter by Monday, then the day came and nothing.”
A spokesperson for Ryanair, said: “Ryanair could not accommodate this passenger’s mobility scooter on her flight from Paphos to Liverpool (4 July), as the scooter’s lithium battery wattage exceeded the safety specifications for carriage.
“Passengers agree to Ryanair’s Ts & Cs at the time of purchase and this passenger received four emails clearly outlining these requirements explaining the specifications required for travel.”
Source Agencies
