Two women were left “hurt” and “humiliated” after being removed from a plane because they were “too large”.
Angel Harding was boarding an Air New Zealand flight from Napier to Auckland with her friend last week when she felt a sudden pain in her left arm.
When she turned around to see what was causing the pain, she saw a female flight attendant trying to push down the armrest and speaking to her in an “aggressive manner.”
The flight attendant told Harding that the pilot had to be in the right position to take off.
It was then announced to the aircraft that all passengers would have to disembark due to an “inconvenience.”
“After (the waiter) got off the phone, she came over and said, 'You two should reserve four seats, you two should buy two seats each,'” Harding told 1News.
When all passengers left the plane, Harding and her friend were separated from the others.
Both use wheelchairs due to medical reasons and were told they would need to rebook their seats and the next flight wouldn't leave until two days later.
Harding noted they couldn't afford two seats each and there was no place to stay in the area.
She also questioned why there was a problem in Napier as they flew from Kerikeri to Auckland and then from Auckland to Napier without any problems.
Air New Zealand offered to pay for the women's food, accommodation and flights and allowed them access to the Silver Fern lounge. Eventually, they boarded a flight later that day.
The women claim they were discriminated against because of their size and are seeking compensation for “injury, humiliation and trauma”.
“My thought is they let me go because of my size, because of my size – our size has a lot to do with it,” Harding said.
“They didn't say that, just that it would be an inconvenience.”
An Air New Zealand spokesperson said in a statement that if passengers require additional space and space is available, staff will work to relocate them on the aircraft.
But the airline “strongly recommends” passengers contact them before flying to ensure a safe and comfortable journey.
“We are committed to treating all of our customers with respect and deeply regret that these customers received an inconsistent experience,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to work directly with customers to address their concerns.”
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