- An airline captain mistakenly prevented a passenger in a wheelchair from boarding a flight due to a misunderstanding about the batteries, resulting in the passenger being stranded.
- The passenger felt discriminated against and raised concerns about the necessity of disconnecting the batteries, as he had flown with the airline previously without any issues.
- Porter Airlines acknowledged the error, apologized to the passenger, offered compensation, and clarified the regulations regarding wheelchair batteries.
Additional Coverage:
- A passenger says a Canadian airline’s pilot told him he was a ‘dangerous threat’ because he couldn’t disconnect his wheelchair’s batteries (businessinsider.com)
An airline captain mistakenly prevented a passenger from boarding a flight due to his wheelchair’s batteries. The incident occurred with Porter Airlines, a small Canadian airline, which later acknowledged the captain’s mistake and booked the passenger on a different flight the next day.
Ken Harrower, the passenger in question, was scheduled to fly from Calgary to Toronto on Sunday. However, the captain believed that the power chair’s batteries needed to be disconnected according to Transport Canada regulations. Harrower stated that when he declined to disconnect the batteries, the captain deemed him a “dangerous threat” and left him stranded.
Harrower felt that he was being discriminated against because of his wheelchair and expressed that his chair is crucial for his mobility. Interestingly, Harrower had flown with Porter Airlines just two weeks prior without any issues regarding his wheelchair.
Porter Airlines released a statement acknowledging the error and stating that the batteries did not need to be removed entirely, just disconnected. The airline apologized to Harrower, offered a refund for the flight, covered expenses incurred from the delay, and provided an additional flight credit.
According to the International Air Transport Association, wheelchairs powered by gel batteries are considered non-dangerous. This contradicts the captain’s belief that the batteries needed to be removed. The association clarifies that older “wet cell” batteries require disconnection, while lithium batteries have additional requirements depending on the manufacturer.
In conclusion, Porter Airlines admitted the mistake made by the captain and took responsibility for the inconvenience caused to Harrower. The airline offered compensation and apologized for the incident.