Well-known author Airline leaves woman in wheelchair on tarmac
Wheelchair-bound author Liz Weir was due to fly to Edinburgh as a guest speaker but was left on the tarmac at Belfast Airport.
26.06.2024, 04:30
26.06.2024, 07:15
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- Author Liz Weir, 73, was left on the tarmac at Belfast International Airport in a wheelchair - her plane took off without her.
- Weir, who was invited as a guest speaker at a literary event in Edinburgh, missed her appearance.
- Weir describes the experience as extremely stressful and discriminatory.
Liz Weir, a 73-year-old writer and storyteller from Cushendall, Northern Ireland, has made serious allegations against Easyjet.
According to a report in the Belfast Telegraph, she was left in a wheelchair on the tarmac at Belfast International Airport while her plane took off without her.
Weir was invited as a guest speaker at a literary event in Edinburgh.
Weir waved to the pilot
Despite checking in early and using the special assistance service, she found herself on the tarmac while her plane and luggage took off.
"A lady in a high-visibility vest came and took me and another wheelchair user onto the tarmac while the passengers started boarding at the gate," Liz Weir told the Belfast Telegraph.
"We waited for everyone to board, thinking we would be next, but then the stairs were pulled away from the plane and the doors closed."
The situation became particularly stressful for Weir as she waved to the pilot. "But he shook his head to signal that we weren't coming and just taxied off while my suitcase was in the hold."
Stressful discrimination
The writer, who suffers from a heart condition, describes the experience as extremely stressful and discriminatory. "I really don't need this stress," she emphasized and reported that she spent most of the day crying.
"Everyone able to walk was on board and we were left behind - what could that be other than discrimination?" she wonders.
"I expect compensation"
She was particularly annoyed that the paying visitors to her event were disappointed. Weir was eventually rebooked on a later flight so that she could make her weekend plans in Glasgow.
Easyjet has since said it is investigating the incident and is in contact with the care provider and ground handling team.
The welfare of customers is a top priority and the company deeply regrets the inconvenience caused.
Liz Weir says: "I cannot hold Easyjet responsible for the actions of any one person, but I expect compensation for the inconvenience, stress and loss of earnings, as well as a conversation with the pilot who left me behind."
