Guards harass us when we try to enter through the handicap entrance after we check in, even though HAL employees direct us to that entrance. We are told we should have arrived earlier if we wanted to use that particular entrance. We are late because the Handi-Van made us wait for three hours.

Upon exiting the ship, my husband’s wheelchair becomes stuck in the gangway he cannot free himself. Even after we get the attention of officers, he receives no further escort down the ramp. Our Handi-Van is not available when we find our luggage. We sit in cold luggage hangar for three hours. No HAL employees will inform us of the status of our transportation.

When the warehouse is completely emptied of passengers, we are informed that the Handi-Van "backed out" on us over three hours earlier. We were led to believe it’s arrival was imminent. HAL employees threaten to lock us in the hangar as they must leave

A smaller handicap transport, not designed for mechanical chairs, and not capable of safely handling two wheelchairs is flagged to take us to the airport. HAL employees rip out it’s back seat and hold it hostage, telling the driver he will get the seat back when he drops us at the airport and returns to pick up the seat at the pier.

The small van cannot lock down our wheelchairs, HAL employees throw our luggage in the front with the driver, which topples on him when he turns corners. Our wheelchairs roll around in the back, and we injure ourselves attempting to brace them. Mrs. Drea’s scooter falls over on top of her on three occasions. Driver delivers us to wrong terminal and we are forced to reload and circle the airport a final time, when the scooter topples on Mrs. Drea again.
 

The Drea's also included two letters of their displeasure. These are worth reading, a summery of events and a complaint to the CEO.

Return to Travel Tales