Bengaluru: Wheelchair-Bound Award-Winning Artist Denied Boarding On Alliance Air flight

Sarita Dwivedi had tweeted about the incident, tagging Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiradita Scindia.

Passengers disembark from a flight (Source: File photo/Getty)

New Delhi: An award-winning differently-abled artist was allegedly denied boarding an Alliance Air flight from Bengaluru to Kochi on Monday. The incident took place at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport. The woman was travelling from Bengaluru to Kochi with her friend. While talking to news agency PTI, Sarita Dwivedi claimed that the only option the airline provided her was to leave her wheelchair behind or book a flight on another airline.

She also accused a staff member of hostile behaviour towards her. Moreover, the airline did not even refund the amount of around ₹ 8,000 she had spent on the tickets for herself and her friend.

A statement from the airline on the issue was awaited.

Dwivedi said she needed to thusly layout around ₹ 14,000 for travelling on another private carrier to arrive at Kochi alongside her friend. The aircraft also carried her wheelchair in the plane's cargo without any hitch, she said.

However, what unfolded at the Alliance Air counter at Kempegowda International Airport on Saturday was an exceptionally terrible experience, she said.

On being found out if she intends to sue the carrier or make some other move, she said she didn't know how to approach that.

Giving details of her ordeal, Dwivedi said she arrived at the registration counter around 8 am, an hour in front of the flight's takeoff, conforming to the one-hour rule.

"On seeing me, the first thing the person from the airline said was that if you are travelling with a motorised wheelchair, you should come a little early. Then I got little angry and said I was on time. I told him to get the scanning person to scan the wheelchair so that I can go. Again he said I was late. Then he said 'madam you cannot travel with the motorised wheelchair as it was battery operated'." On being asked whether the airline official gave a reason for not allowing the wheelchair, she stated "they said there are certain guidelines against it. But these guidelines are there with every airline." "They said that in view of the guidelines, I cannot take my wheelchair. So either I should leave it behind or I cannot travel on the flight. That is how they were talking to me. I felt so bad," she said.

Earlier, She had tweeted about the incident, tagging Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiradita Scindia.

"Dear Sir, Need help regarding @allianceair behaviour. I am Divyang travel with my Motorized Wheelchair but stuck at Bangalore airport since @allianceair not allowing me to board in my flight along with my wheelchair. Missed my flight. #RPWD Act 2016."

Asked if the airline offered any alternatives, she said, "they were not willing to do anything for me. I was ready to leave the wheelchair there, provided they could send it to my place in Kochi. I am not from Bangalore. I am a humble person. I did not want to argue, so I asked them what they can do to help me," she said. They said they cannot do anything but can refund her ticket amount.

However, "they have not refunded the ticket amount.. I had spent around ₹ 8,000 on two tickets for myself and my friend.. even my friend could not travel as I was not allowed to travel. Not only did they not refund the amount, I had to, thereafter, spend around ₹ 14,000 on two tickets to Kochi," on another airline, she claimed.