Talj’s Blog

In June 2007 my Grandparents booked a holiday for myself, my Mum and them to Lanzarote to celebrate my Grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.

Knowing I had been ill for sometime and that I would be needing a wheelchair they made sure that at the time of booking disabled assistance, seating and storage for my wheelchair were all discussed. Although they were told repeatedly they could not book a ’special needs seat’ they were assured it would not be a problem and once at check in I would be allocated one.

Having been let down on more than one occassion by so called ‘disabled friendly’ companies in the past I made sure in the weeks leading up to our holiday that Thomsonfly were fully aware of my medical situation. I was even told in one conversation I had to give details of exactly what was wrong with me and how this made me ‘disabled’. I did everything I was asked to do and felt reassured there would be no problems when we checked in.

On Sunday 16th December at 4am we approached the check in desk and were told there were no disabled seats on this flight. I began my ‘but I checked this many times before we left’ speech and after a phone call to the cabin crew we were advised that they could not change my allocated seat number – Seat 3B – but that Row 2 was for disabled passengers and that these seats could not be booked so they would be free should my allocated seat not be adequate.

Stress is a major contributor to a ‘relapse’ in my condition and feeling like I was about to head off on the holiday from hell I began to develop a rash which is often seen in Lupus patients. Not a good start.

We were called to board first and we’re whisked off in a little box on wheels that attached to the side of the aircraft to allow me to walk with my sticks from my wheelchair straight into the plane. Unexpectedly, passengers were already boarding and I was asked to keep standing and wait until there was a break in the flow of people! I did so and was shown to my seat – 3B (see above diagram). I advised A, a member of the cabin crew that there would be no way I could get in this seat nevermind sit in it for the whole 4+ hour flight.

Having had previous DVT and being more at risk to develop further clots due to my medical conditions I have to keep moving my feet/legs throughout a flight and need to stand and walk around at least every half an hour. I am also unable to bend my left knee very much at all and certainly not for extended periods of time.

A asked me to go and stand back at the door and allow the rest of the passengers to board the plane whilst she checked if there was anything they could do. I was not offered a seat during any of the 20+ minutes I was standing and by the time the rest of the passengers had boarded I was in some discomfort. An abled bodied passenger in Seat 2A got up and offered to swap seats with me but was told to sit down and that I had to sit in the seat I had been allocated. By this time the whole plane was quiet and looking towards me at the front of the plane. I could have burst into tears.

Seats 2A, 2B, 2C and 2F were all occupied by abled bodied passengers but A and another member of the cabin crew again advsied me there was nothing they could do and I was told to go to my seat. Thankfully a kind lady in Seat 3D allowed me to swap with her but this meant I was sat on the opposite side of the plane to any of my family and the legroom wasn’t any better than Seat 3B, but at least it was an aisle seat…

My left leg, which is my bad one anyway, had to be stuck out in the aisle where it proceeded to get tripped over, stood on and hit by the cabin trolleys for the next 4+ hours. I was in tears for most of the flight and many of the other passengers around me kept asking if I was ok and if there was anything they could do to help.

The cabin crew on flight TOM5117 from East Midlands to Lanzarote on Sunday 16th December 2007 offered me no help whatsoever and continued to look at me as if I were a nuisance throughout the whole flight.

On our arrival at Lanzarote, not only had I been made to wait for everyone else to board before I could sit down but I now had to wait for everyone to disembark before I was allowed to get off the plane.

This was an appauling start to my holiday and I spent the next 2 days in a lot of discomfort relying on my Mum to push me in my wheelchair as often as it was possible. Walking was extremely painful and my left leg was quite swollen and sore.

I would recommend that if you are disabled and you intend to fly with Thomsonfly DON’T!

It didn’t matter that I had been reassured I would have a special needs seat, it means nothing. Thanks to my bestfriend, who called Thomsonfly whilst we were in Lanzarote, and explained that I had had trouble on my outward journey when we checked in for our return flight everything went great and the cabin crew on flight TOM5118 were superb! Look at the difference in legroom from a ‘normal’ seat to the special needs seats…

My legroom on return Thomsonfly flight TOM5118

My friend was told that the company had 2 operating systems and it was possible that all of our booking had been noted on the wrong system which is not the one the check-in people use. How true this is I am yet to find out but hopefully when I receive a reply from Thomsonfly they will be able to explain this to me in greater detail.

Below are a few quotes from the Thomson/Thomsonfly website for disabled passengers…

Quote from Thomsons FAQs under Disabled Passengers

Can I still travel with you if I am disabled, or if I have reduced mobility?

If you or anyone in your party has a disability, reduced mobility or special needs, or if you intend to take a wheelchair on the flight, please contact our Call Centre prior to booking so we can discuss your needs. If assistance is required, the airline may require either a disabled badge number or a doctor’s letter. Some resorts may be unsuitable if you have special needs, for example if a hotel is located among rocky or mountainous terrain it may be difficult for wheelchair users to gain easy access. To advise us of any disabilities prior to booking, please contact us on the appropriate number below:

• Thomson package holidays: 0870 165 0079
• Thomsonfly (flight only): 0870 1900 737

Quote from Thomsons FAQ’s under Flights – Seats

You will be assigned a seat at check-in on a first come first served basis. If you prefer, you can select and book your seats before you travel (for a nominal fee). You can reserve your seats at the time that you make your online booking, or you can add pre-booked seats on to an existing booking by contacting 0870 1900 737. Please note, passengers with disabilities or restricted mobility are not allowed to sit in the rows at the emergency exit, so we must be made aware of any disability when a passenger pre-reserves a seat.

No amount of calls to them makes any difference, it’s all a matter of who you get on the day as to whether you will receive any help or the right seats.

I am currently writing my letter of complaint to Thomson/Thomsonfly and will update you all when I hear back from them!

Thomson / Thomsonfly Reply