Airline let our autistic son down
Chloe Duncan had a horrific journey when her airline failed to notify airports of the assisted travel she’d arranged for her 10-year-old autistic son.
Chloe wanted to take her son, who also has a chromosomal disorder, on a plane for the first time in six years to visit family in Spain.
She booked special assistance with Ryanair for Newcastle and Alicante airports, and swapped messages with the airline about her son’s specific needs.
But when she, a companion and her son turned up at the airports, nobody had a record of her booking and no support had been planned.
Chloe, from Bishop Auckland, said: “Newcastle Airport were fantastic. They swung into action and gave us a quiet lane through security and a route bypassing duty free. It nearly brought me to tears how lovely the staff were.
“But staff at Alicante on the way back wouldn’t support us. They wanted to charge me more than £100 for checking in my son’s special sleeping equipment, which I’d booked, and wouldn’t give us any help through the busy airport.”
Chloe’s son has difficulty regulating his emotions and can become overwhelmed by crowds, noise, and unpredictable situations.
She said: “There were huge queues at Alicante and he got very distressed. In duty free he was ripping toy boxes open, lying on the floor screaming, and lashing out. Other passengers were staring and even filming. It was horrific.”
At the gate, airline staff said they would be entitled to priority boarding and put them first in the queue. But the special assistance team ushered passengers in wheelchairs through ahead of them and closed the door in their faces.
“My son had a meltdown at this point,” Chloe said. “Nobody offered any help. I could see some of the other passengers were scared.”
The family had done everything they could to prepare for the flight ahead of time, researching assisted travel and getting in touch with Ryanair. Chloe said:
“My son was desperate to see his family in Spain, and I really wanted to give it a go. His siblings get to go – why should he miss out?"
“But the whole experience was devastating. There is no way we’d attempt to take him on another flight on our own again. I’m angry, because it didn’t have to be that way.”
Ryanair, which was responsible for arranging special assistance at Newcastle and Alicante airports, did not respond to a request for comment.