20 Jul, 2019 → by ClaimboUser35656
no wheel chair service provided at frankfurt airport leading old travellers abandoned for 24 hours and being harassed

1

I am making this complaint on behalf of my parents who took LH 0757 on 10th of July 2019 from Mumbai to Frankfurt (transit) to Calgary, Canada (destination). After reaching the Airport at Frankfurt, they were provided wheel-chair service after dis-embarking (no wheelchair for disembarking the flight to gate) the flight themselves to the departure gate, for their onward flight to Calgary, Canada. But the main problem started at the departure gate. No wheel-chair service was provided at the departure gate to the flight. My father who is 76 years old with a history of Parkinson's disease had to go looking for a washroom, leaving my mother at the gate. When he did not return for 30 minutes, she went looking, requested assistance from people at the departure gate, after a lot of insistence they finally made an appeal and announced with the passenger name. While my mother was in distress knocking men's room stalls, the booking agents at the departure gate sold their tickets, even after knowing that a 76-year-old man (transit passenger) is missing. Finally, my father was found disoriented in front of another gate confused looking for signs. When they returned to the gate "apparently" it was too late and since their tickets were already sold they were asked to go and see the on ground Lufthansa flight staff at the airport. By now my parents were stranded in a foreign airport, where German is a foreign language to them, with no money (they just had a few euros). They finally reached out to me in Calgary. After talking to ground staff, they informed us that it would cost money to issue them tickets for the next day morning flight, which I had to pay, what if my credit card did not work? Again, they were stranded at the airport for 24 hours with little resources for 24 hours finally they made the next morning (11th July) flight to reach me. This harassment was unwarranted and seemed intentional to us. How can your ground staff leave old people stranded at the airport with no accommodation and food? also when asked for help there was an attempt to extort money for new tickets, as if it is their fault that no wheel-chair service was provided. According to your international website - https://www.lufthansa.com/be/en/passengers-using-wheelchairs, following service should be provided: • We will support you during boarding and disembarking • We will help you to stow your carry-on baggage • We will assist you in getting to and from the toilet While i understand the importance of flight being punctual on time, i do not understand how the agent in the first place was able to sell their tickets, while she was frantically crying and running around and looking for my father who has a history of parkinson's and often get's disoriented and confused. Then they left to wander about the airport all by themselves without food, water or accommodation. If he had been provided wheel chair access to onboard, which was a promised service by your airline none of these would have happened in the first place, even after that you were still trying to do business asking for money and making the best of the situation . I am not sure who is responsible weather Lufthansa or Air Canada. But since our booking and original booking was with Lufthansa, we are making this genuine complaint. I would request you to investigate this and get back to us with a favorable resolution ASAP. My father could have fainted hurting himself fatally or got lost, it could have been a very bad situation for us. This was a distasteful experience, which will linger in our minds for a long time and we would share this story repeatedly with people we meet to remind them of what wonderful services are provided by your Airlines. Please do not consider this as a general complaint but a warning, not have you not provided promised services but have also failed to provide very basic services like food, water and accommodation to Elderly assistance seeking passengers. Who had to survive on biscuits lounging on an open airport waiting to get their next flight, all so that they can somehow come and see their children. Passenger Details: Mrs. Sudha Pal Mr. Susanta Pal Compensation expectation: 1. Tickets fares to and from origin to destination. 2. Compensation for harassment at the airport by your staff. 3.Compensation for leaving elderly people in an open airport for 24 hours unattended without food, water or accommodation 4. Immediate refund of additional fees paid along with interest. 5. Compensation for failure to provide promised services. Please see attached relevant documents like receipts and boarding passes. Thank you, Gaurav Pal
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