As thousands of flights were delayed and canceled across the US, Morgan Jones told Insider that people who use wheelchairs were being left out.
There are mothers with babies stuck on the floor. I've read of luggage lost and delays, but no one has talked about the vulnerable and ADA passengers' hell.
According to flight documents viewed by Insider, Jones flew from Minneapolis to Toronto on June 25th. Her flights were canceled twice.
Jones said the wheelchair assistance provided by Delta during her flight from Dallas was "flawless" and that a select group of Air Canada agents later helped transport the flight's wheelchair users.
She and other passengers with disabilities were stuck at various points in their journeys. She said that their fellow passengers pushed them through the airport.
At the Air Canada gate in Minneapolis, Jones met an older woman in a wheelchair who said she hadn't eaten or been taken to the restroom in 10 hours.
Jones arrived in Toronto two hours later than he had planned. She said that passengers waited an hour on the tarmac for the ground crew to arrive and another hour for an agent to open the gate door.
She told Insider that there was one agent who was on his second day on the job and there were 7 passengers in wheelchairs. People helped get us all upstairs.
The flight from Toronto to St. John's was canceled at about midnight. Passengers won't be provided meals or hotel vouchers, according to Jones.
She said that an agent left with her sitting in a wheelchair in front of his path. The fellow wheelchair users were left there as well.
Air Canada said it dealt with customers directly and that airlines were challenged due to issues with airports and third-party providers of such services.
These issues are affecting the performance of airlines and we are working hard with our partners and governments to find a solution.
Jones said her fellow passengers brought her baggage down to claim to find her luggage as they waited for their flights to be re booked. Jones said that she saw a mother cry on the floor with her toddler and baby.
She estimated 500 people were trying to form a line at the Air Canada customer-service counter.
A fellow customer told Jones and other people using wheelchairs that there was an Air Canada counter in the American Airlines section. The passengers who had been transporting Jones demanded help from the counter agent.
Jones was put on a direct flight to St. John's at 6 a.m. after the counter agent took her off her auto- booked flight.
She arrived at her final destination at 11:30 a.m. on June 26.
Jones said that wheelchair-bound passengers are going to end up causing a medical emergency if they aren't taken care of.
The US Department of Transportation's Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights requires airlines to help passengers with disabilities quickly.
If you encounter a disability related issue with an airlineaccommodation or service, the department says to do the following.
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