‘Why are some cabin crew such jobsworths?’ Tourist vents fury after BA staff said her foldable wheelchair was taking up ‘too much space’ and had to go in the hold

• Blogger @belleswheelstravel criticised BA after she says she was told brusquely that her wheelchair had to ‘go in the hold’ despite fitting in the overheads
• Read more: Passenger left horrified after woman brushes her teeth at her seat on a 14-hour flight – and spits into a cup which then stayed on her tray

A blogger has slammed British Airways cabin crew as ‘jobsworths’, after she was told her foldable wheelchair would take up too much space in the overhead lockers – where other passengers needed to store hand luggage.  

Accessible travel expert Annabel Moult, regularly posts on Instagram about her experiences as a disabled tourist from Buckinghamshire about her experiences as a disabled traveller on her account @belleswheelstravel. 

She said she was treated brusquely by a BA cabin crew member named Gary on a recent flight to Valencia. 

In a video filmed from the flight, the blogger said she’d endured an unfriendly welcome, where she was told that her wheelchair was taking up too much space and had to go in the hold.

She said: ‘We’re on a flight from Valencia to Heathrow and the first thing that was said to us wasn’t, “Oh hi, how are you?” but “Your wheelchair takes up so much space, it’ll have to go in the hold”.

She continued: ‘No, no, no Gary, my wheelchair is specifically bought, paid for and designed to go in the overhead locker and that’s where it should be.’

A post shared by Wheelchair Travel🌍Annabelle (@belleswheelstravel)

Captioning her video, she wrote: ‘One day…..one day airlines will come to understand that our wheels are our legs and shouldn’t just be thrown into the hold where they can be damaged or even broken.’

She added that ‘flying as a disabled person is nervewracking as it is, without the fear of a damaged wheelchair greeting you at the door.’

MailOnline has contacted British Airways for comment.

One viewer of the video wrote: ‘Disgusting that anyone would prioritise hand luggage over a wheelchair. So sorry that this is still a conversation that you have to have.’ 

Filming on board a BA flight from Valencia to Heathrow, UK-based accessible travel expert @belleswheelstravel claims she was told her wheelchair, designed to fit in the overhead lockers, had to go in the hold to make room for fellow passengers’ hand luggage

The blogger said that she feared her wheelchair would be damaged in the hold, having had negative experiences before – and criticised the BA cabin crew member for their brusque approach to the situation

Captioning her video, she wrote: ‘One day…..one day airlines will come to understand that our wheels are our legs and shouldn’t just be thrown into the hold where they can be damaged or even broken.’

Reaction: One viewer of the video wrote: ‘Disgusting that anyone would prioritise hand luggage over a wheelchair. So sorry that this is still a conversation that you have to have.’

Another former cabin crew member said the alleged behaviour was inexcusable: ‘I’m so sorry that this is your experience – I was cabin crew for a few years and I’d never speak to a customer that way. 

‘Airlines do educate cabin crew on how to best support and assist people that use wheelchairs, have reduced mobility etc. I can vouch for that… there is no excuse.’

Another added: ‘If your wheelchair is made to fit a over head locker that’s where you want it…too many entitled people bring on those little suitcases plus a bag and fill the lockers. If you’ve paid for a flight and a seat you should be able to use the locker.’ 

It comes after Loose Women star Sophie Morgan was left in tears after claiming British Airways broke her £8,000 wheelchair for a second time.

The disability campaigner, 38, who is paralysed from the waist down following a car accident aged 18, took to her Instagram saying she was ‘absolutely f***ing raging’.

Furious: The disability campaigner, who is paralysed from the waist down following a car accident aged 18, took to her Instagram saying she was ‘absolutely f***ing raging’

Filming from arrivals she told the camera: ‘British Airways have broken my Batec [battery-powered attachment]. I arrived at the airport and it was working’.

‘Now I’m reunited with it off the back of the plane and it’s not working’.

Batec is a hand bike that connects to traditional wheelchairs to make it motorised and help disabled individuals travel more freely.

An emotional Sophie continued: ‘[The wheelchair has] some kind of electrical fault, it’s not connecting when I turn the key and so what does that tell you? It’s been manhandled.’

‘I honestly don’t think I can actually take much more of this. I was just told to put a complaint in through the website again’.

‘Thankfully I know that’s not what I’m meant to do. I’ve had no sleep, I’m absolutely exhausted.’

Before adding: ‘It’s happened again. British Airways, you have broken my Batec. I’m actually speechless.’

In a statement to MailOnline BA said: ‘We’re really sorry for our customer’s experience and are in direct contact with her to resolve the issue as we investigate what happened’.

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