Dr Jo Winter was travelling to Copenhagen with her daughter when airport staff reportedly refused to let her wheelchair on board – before telling her to ‘hurry up’ as she struggled across the tarmac
A disabled mum says she was told to “hurry up” as she struggled across Birmingham Airport’s tarmac after staff refused to let her wheelchair on board – an ordeal she has described as the “most humiliating experience” of her life.
Dr Jo Winter, from Moseley, was travelling to Copenhagen with her daughter Sally on July 7 for a seven-day trip. Jo, who underwent chemotherapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) in January that left her housebound for months, had bought a £1,700 travel wheelchair to help manage her severe fatigue. Other passengers queuing on the stairs were said to have witnessed staff tagging the chair, before another worker later removed the tag, insisting it could not be taken on the “full” Scandinavian Airlines System flight (SAS). Jo claims she broke down in tears before being forced to walk across the tarmac and up the aircraft steps without her wheelchair. She was then reportedly told to “hurry up” by a staff member.
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Jo was told the chair would remain at Birmingham Airport and that her husband would be contacted to collect it, but this did not happen. Instead, an “apologetic” SAS manager in Copenhagen arranged for it to be flown over and delivered to her hotel the following day. Until then, Jo says she had to spend extra on taxis to get around.
The mum admits she had not declared the chair at check-in desk as she was only travelling with hand luggage. Speaking about the ordeal, Jo said: “I was going to Copenhagen with my daughter, and I knew that I would need to do a lot of walking. Airports are incredibly difficult places for people with MS. Whilst I can walk, my greatest symptom of MS is my fatigue and standing up is really difficult. There is a lot of queuing in airports and just walking to the gates is really difficult.
“Life had just got harder since this treatment I had in January, so we bought the wheelchair for the trip […] I’m going on a lot of trips this summer on planes and trains, and so when I bought it, I was sure it was suitable. I was very careful with what I bought and made sure it was plane safe. I sometimes receive special assistance at the airport, but I didn’t need it as I had the chair.”
The 50-year-old mum-of-two was diagnosed with MS around 30 years ago, Brimingham Live report. She later had to quit her job teaching law at a university because of her condition and bought the chair – which has a flight-safe lithium battery and weighs 18 kilos – for her travels.
When Sally, 18, tried to speak up for her mum by telling the staff that Jo is protected by various equality acts and that her chair is specifically designed for travel and meets the airline’s carry-on requirements, one of them reportedly put his hand up in her face and told her that he was not talking to her.
“It was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life,” Jo said. “He made me drag my hand luggage across the tarmac and carry it up the stairs as he walked ahead. “Once we got on the plane, the cabin crew were amazing, they were so nice. They phoned ahead and in Copenhagen we were met by special assistance and taken straight to SAS, and they were absolutely fantastic. They said that should never have happened to us.”
In stark contrast, travelling home from Copenhagen Airport was a breeze for Jo and SAS staff accommodated her chair with no problems at all. Jo and her family now hope that sharing her story raises awareness of the need for competent disability training in the workplace.
The Mirror has contacted Birmingham Airport and Scandinavian Airlines System for comment.