A disabled pensioner claimed she was left without her electric scooter after it was removed from a Ryanair flight over fears it might “explode”.
Susan Alty, from Chorley, was flying back to Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Paphos in Cyprus on July 4 when her mobility scooter was taken off the plane. The 69-year-old, who was travelling with her son John Alty, 48, said she had previously “travelled around the world” using the mobility scooter, which helps her to be “completely independent”.
She said she boarded the flight back to Liverpool before an airport staff member boarded and said the flight could not take off with the scooter on board. Ryanair said the lithium battery’s wattage exceeded safety limits – and Susan claimed she was told the battery could explode during the flight.
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After a back and forth between Susan and airport staff, she was told to get off – passengers chanted “out” and called her “bitch”. Eventually she was allowed to stay on the plane, but the pilot decided to take off – without the mobility scooter. Twenty-three days after her return, Susan had the mobility scooter delivered to her home, she said.
She said she was “not able to leave the house all the time.” Susan, a retired social worker, said: “I’m terrified of flying now. I love this scooter because it makes me totally independent.”
“I’ve travelled around the world with it and never had a problem. I got the scooter back 23 days after I left Paphos and I couldn’t leave the house the whole time.”
Susan said she had no problems with her scooter on her outbound flight on May 16. But after visiting her son in Paphos, Cyprus, Susan flew back home to Chorley via Liverpool John Lennon Airport on July 4.
Susan said she was told her scooter needed to be checked before boarding the plane. She said: “An hour went by and I was still waiting.”
“The airport staff told me my scooter had 300 watts, but I kept saying it only had 34.1 watts and showed them the proof. They then calculated it and said we could go through to the plane and wait for the doors to close.”
According to Susan, just before the plane’s doors were about to close, an airport employee came on board and told them they couldn’t take off while their mobility scooter was on board. Susan said: “He came running and asked if the mobility scooter was mine. He raised his voice and said he wasn’t going to jeopardize the flight.”
“I told him the scooter was fine and safe to fly, but he told me he didn’t believe me. He said he was responsible for the safety of everyone on board and told me I was putting everyone in danger.”
“He told me if I don’t like it, I can get off the plane.” Susan was concerned and got up and walked through the plane with her son when, according to her, passengers started yelling “get off” and calling her a bitch.
She said: “My son asked the cabin crew what was going on and they said it had nothing to do with them. Then as we were about to leave the plane, another member of airport staff came running and said we could stay on the plane and it was up to the captain whether the scooter stayed on board or not.
“The captain decided we could stay on the plane but they wouldn’t take the scooter.” She added: “They said I would have the scooter by Monday, then the day came and nothing.
“In the end I was told that my scooter was being returned on a passenger plane, but they were not allowed to take it on mine.”
A Ryanair spokesman said: “Ryanair was unable to carry this passenger’s mobility scooter on its flight from Paphos to Liverpool (4 July) because the wattage of the mobility scooter’s lithium battery exceeded the safety specifications for carriage.”
“Passengers agree to Ryanair’s terms and conditions when making a purchase. This passenger received four emails clearly outlining these requirements and explaining the specifications needed for travel.”
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