Wheelchair Athlete Discriminated Against
Posted on 21 June 2010 by LynThomas in sports, Travel
Richie Power, 39, from Carmarthen, West Wales, was booked on a flight to Scotland to take part in a wheelchair race. As he tried to board the plane at Bristol airport he was told, “You can only walk up the aircraft steps”.
Powell has not walked since he broke his back at the age of 18, in a motorcycle accident.
He said: “I have been flying all over the world to take part in wheelchair races – this has never happened before. I was left feeling angry and embarrassed.”
Powell offered to get out of the wheelchair and use his powerful arms to ease himself up the steps of the Eastern Airways aircraft. But the airline again refused him permission to board on safety grounds.
“It’s basically discrimination. They told me: ‘You can’t come on unless you can walk’,” said Powell, father of two. “They knew full well that I was in a wheelchair. I’d told them when I phoned to check the flight was on time.”
Powell had flown to Scotland for a race, last year with the same airline without any problems.
Powell competed at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games, the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada and the 1998 World Championships.
He was booked onto the flight by Aberdeen Council, who had organised a 10K race he was taking part in.
A statement from Eastern Airways said: “The booking that was made on behalf of Mr Powell highlighted that he needed wheelchair assistance, but was able to climb the aircraft steps unaided. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and Mr Powell was refused boarding on safety grounds.
“Wheelchair assistance is available to and from all our aircraft, as long as passengers are able to walk up the aircraft steps and onto the aircraft without assistance.”
Mr Powell later flew to Edinburgh with easyJet and was driven to the event in Balmoral.
