Ryanair angers family of disabled dad after he was pulled down packed plane while hundreds of passengers watched

A DISABLED dad was dragged down an airplane aisle in front of hundreds of fellow passengers in a “degrading” end to his holiday.

Neil Boffey, who uses a wheelchair after suffering from a stroke 11 years ago, had requested special boarding for his flight from Barcelona to Manchester but was instead pulled down the aisle.

The 48-year-old’s ordeal was filmed by his outraged family, with the man left embarrassed as two men struggled to seat him on the full plane.

The man’s daughter Emily-Jane, 24, filmed the incident and lodged a formal complaint but said the airline was refusing to apologise over their treatment of her dad.

Ryanair have instead denied responsibility, insisting that wheelchair services at Barcelona Airport are operated by UTE on behalf of the airport authority – but the airport pointed out that they are not responsible for the location of passengers on the flight.

Neil’s wife May said: “It was really undignified for him. To bring him on like that with everyone else already there and watching was degrading.

“Usually what happens is they allow those who need assistance to board first, but for whatever reason this time we went last.

“We did tell the airline when we booked and the people at the check-in desk that we would need assistance.”

She said that she asked that her husband, who is paralysed on his right-hand side, be boarded first but he was instead boarded at the front of the plane – the opposite end to where his seat was.

She said: “He also has epilepsy and dysphasia, which means he struggles to speak, and is registered blind. We were surprised when everyone else went on ahead of him.

“They used an Ambulift to get him to the door but for some reason his seat was at the back of the plane and he went on the front.

“People were trying to put their luggage away and it’s a narrow aisle. You could tell people were looking at him and it was embarrassing for Neil.”

The furious wife added: “All we’re asking from Ryanair is an apology and a commitment that they’ll improve things for disabled customers. Something has to change.”

The footage shows two staff members clearly struggling to get him down the narrow aisle as fellow travellers take their seats.

Neil, May, and Emily-Jane had been in Spain for a week along with his son Jack, 19, Emily-Jane’s partner Jason Needham, 23, and Jack’s girlfriend Megan Newey, 19, paying around £150 each for their flights.

The family said there were no issues on the outbound flight from Manchester, when Neil boarded at the rear of the plane and took a seat on the back row.

Emily-Jane, a financial advisor, said that because his wheelchair was too wide to fit down the aisle, assistance staff on the return flight put Neil in a wheel-less chair of their own and tipped him back as they lifted him to the rear of the plane.

She said: “It wasn’t safe whatsoever. My dad suffers from epilepsy, so imagine if he would have had a fit while they were carrying him on the plane.

“He would have not only hurt himself but also who ever was near him.

“Ryanair were the ones that decided it would be best for him to sit at the back of the plane, knowing full well he couldn’t walk as we told them this before we booked our holiday.”

She said she was angry that her dad was humiliated – but even further enraged by the airline’s response.

She said: “I put a complaint in with Ryanair and their reply was it’s not their fault and they did this for the safety of their passengers. I don’t accept that whatsoever.

“The safe way would be for them to put all disabled passengers on the plane first so that they don’t have to be embarrassed about having to go past everyone on the plane to get to their seats.”

A spokesman for Ryanair told The Sun Online: “While we regret any inconvenience caused, wheelchair services at Barcelona Airport are operated by UTE on behalf of the airport authority – at great expense to the airlines – and UTE are responsible for this service and any problems with it.”

A Barcelona Airport spokesman said: “Barcelona-El Prat Airport offers assistance to passengers who requires it. This service is coordinated with the companies, which are responsible for the location of the passengers inside the plane and the flight boarding.

“In this case, the shipment was initiated before agents and Mr Boffey could reach the plane, if it hadn’t been done in this way the flight would have been delayed.

“We regret that Mr Boffey perceived a negative experience and any possible inconvenience this may have caused. We will continue working and improving in attention to passengers.”

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