Disabled BBC star horrified as he’s forced to drag himself along plane floor after being refused onboard wheelchair
BBC Security correspondent Frank Gardner has spoken out against an airline who made him crawl across the floor in order to use the bathroom.
The 63-year-old journalist is partially paralyzed in his legs after being injured in an attack by an al-Qaida gunman in June 2004, and uses a wheelchair for mobility.
On Monday, during a flight home from Poland with LOT Airways, Gardner was left angry when he was informed the plane had no on-board wheelchair.
He therefore had to drag himself across the floor in front of other passengers in order to reach the toilet.
Sharing his experience on X, Gardner posted a photo of his legs on the floor of the plane, while two others stood around him.
“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’,” he wrote.
“If you’re disabled and you can’t walk this is just discriminatory.”
He later added: “In fairness to the cabin crew, they were as helpful and apologetic as they could be. Not their fault, it’s the airline.
“Won’t be flying LOT again until they join the 21st century.”
Gardner appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning, and during his segment also discussed what happened.
Speaking to the studio via Zoom, Gardner noted it as a “first world problem” compared to issues he has to cover in the Middle East.
He said: “It’s a first world problem, frankly, but still, it is outrageous in terms of air travel, that LOT, the Polish airline I traveled on from Warsaw last night back to London, had no onboard aisle chair.
“I said, ‘Well, how do you expect me to go to the loo?’ ‘We can help you’ Well, not really, because if somebody drags you to the loo, they can’t get it… It’s too difficult.
“So I had to crawl on my backside along the kind of floor of a not particularly clean aircraft to get to then push, i’ve got quite good upper body strength, to then pull myself up onto the loo and then back again afterwards.
Praising the team members who attempted to help him, Gardner continued: “The cabin crew were very embarrassed, and they were as helpful as they could. There was a really nice steward there who was fantastic. I don’t know his name, but he was able to take my legs.
“But the point is, it’s not difficult to have an on board aisle chair. These things fold up to the size of a pram, if not smaller, and they fit into an overhead locker or into the cupboard.
“The idea that, ‘Oh yeah, we’re looking into this, it’s something we’ll consider’ that is a rude word beginning with B. ”
Gardner added this isn’t the first time he’s had the problem with LOT Airlines, branding the policy for no onboard aisle chairs “arrogant and lazy”.
Addressing the company directly, Gardner said: “Sort it out LOT. You shouldn’t be flying in the 21st century without an onboard aisle chair.
“It’s inhumane to make passengers crawl to the loo on your planes.”
LOT Airlines Response Statement
After reaching out to LOT Airlines for comment, a representative told The Sun in a statement:
“We are deeply sorry for the distressing experience Mr. Frank Gardner encountered on his recent flight with us. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and discomfort caused by the lack of an onboard wheelchair.
“Currently, onboard wheelchairs are available on our Dreamliner aircraft. However, due to limited space, our short-haul fleet does not yet have this facility. We understand the importance of accessibility and are actively testing solutions to equip our short-haul aircraft with onboard wheelchairs in the near future.
“As mentioned on our website, for long-haul flights, we provide onboard wheelchairs to assist passengers in moving around the cabin. Additionally, our ground staff is always ready to assist passengers from check-in to boarding and from the aircraft to the baggage claim area.
“We deeply regret the inconvenience Mr. Gardner experienced and sincerely apologise for the distress caused. We are committed to improving our services to ensure all passengers have a comfortable and dignified travel experience.”