A Qantas passenger has hit out at the airline for downgrading her from business class despite telling staff she needed it because of her disability.
Donna Carlson had planned to visit her daughter in Cairns and had already cleared Brisbane airport security when she was notified of the change on June 3.
He was informed that the flight had been oversold and that he would have to downgrade, wait for another flight, or cancel and accept a refund.
Carlson explained that he needed the seats because he lives with achalasia type 3, a rare disorder that affects the esophagus and causes difficulty swallowing.
The condition has left the mother with a feeding tube through the nose, limited bowel control, and mobility problems due to malnutrition.
Carlson said she needed better access to the bathrooms and more space so her feeding tube wouldn’t break, something hard to find in economy class.
She decided to cancel the ticket after she was left “distraught and completely humiliated” outside the business lounge.
“I hadn’t seen my daughter for a year and I was so excited to go to Cairns and I was crying out of frustration at Qantas telling me they had overbooked the flight and no one could help me,” she said. he mail.
A woman suffering from a rare esophageal disease, Donna Carlson (pictured), was left “humiliated” after her business class seat on a Qantas flight was revoked at the last minute.
Mrs. Carlson had paid for the seat using frequent flyer points she had accumulated over time.
She was given her ticket with an assigned seat at check-in and given a wheelchair to help her get to the business class lounge.
Carlson said that was when Qantas staff approached her and informed her of the change to her ticket even though they were aware of her condition.
Her husband Brian was furious that his companion was chosen instead of other passengers.
“What bothers us… and, to be honest, makes us angry, is that she was chosen when other passengers could have been chosen,” he said.
‘All airlines oversell flights, but they chose the only passenger who couldn’t be downgraded.’
Even though the airline staff knew about the illness and that she needed business class to meet her needs, she was told that her seat had been occupied by the technical (stock) crew.
A Qantas spokesman said the flight had not been overbooked and the seat was needed for technical crew who needed to travel at short notice.
‘We understand how upsetting this experience must have been for Ms. Carlson. It shouldn’t have happened,’ she claimed.
“We will contact her to apologize and discuss the matter further.”
It comes just weeks before the launch of an overhaul of its frequent flyer loyalty program, as the airline looks to refresh its image following a series of controversies.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for comment.