A woman in a wheelchair scheduled for a flight to Bristol encountered a mishap when she missed her Ryanair flight at a bustling Spanish airport due to alleged neglect by the special assistance staff.
The incident occurred on May 12 at Terminal 1 of Lanzarote Airport, where the traveler was inadvertently left in the accessible passenger lounge. Consequently, she had to spend the night on the Canary Island before catching her Ryanair flight the next day.
While she waited to be escorted to the boarding gate, her original flight departed without her presence, leading to her predicament. This oversight has been attributed to the challenging workload faced by subcontractors under Spain’s state-owned airport provider, Aena, with the assistance service managed by a company named Mitie.
Following the incident, Aena initiated an investigation into the matter, with airport operator sources mentioning the possibility of taking necessary actions as per the existing contract and service standards. The nationality of the affected holidaymaker, believed to be British, was undisclosed, and details regarding her companionship during the travel remained unclear.
This occurrence echoes a similar incident from last year involving two elderly passengers at Lanzarote Airport who missed their easyJet flight to Liverpool after being unintentionally abandoned while seeking assistance for reduced mobility. Reports highlighted systemic issues within the assistance service, citing challenges like understaffing, long work hours, and immense pressure faced by the workers.
The Mirror reached out to Aena and Mitie for their comments on the matter.
