Disabled man ejected from British Airways flight for being disabled

On Monday,  a wheelchair bound man was ejected from a British Airways flight because of his lack of mobility with staff citing health and safety issues according to the Western Daily Press.

Luke Kenshole — who has cerebral palsy — said he was on his way from London to Philadelphia to meet with his friend when, after he had boarded, he was asked to leave. From Western Daily Press:

Luke was on the plane before anyone asked him whether he was able to take himself to the toilet, and he said he needed assistance to get onto the wheelchair.

He was then told he would have to get off the plane for health and safety reasons.

Mr. Kenshole had made this trip before on British Airways without incident and so was surprised and rather miffed to be asked to leave. He said:

“They should have said from the word go I couldn’t fly, but I was all set to go and they decided at the last minute I was unfit to fly."

British Airways spokesperson Michelle Kropf told Road Warrior Voices:

"We are extremely sorry and appreciate this must have been upsetting for Mr Kenshole. A senior member of our customer relations team has been in contact with our customer to offer a full refund. We carry hundreds of thousands of customers with disabilities each year and we work hard to provide help and assistance throughout the whole journey, from the point of booking to the final arrival."

Well, better late than never. I can only imagine how unpleasant that was for everyone involved.