A Qantas passenger has lashed out at the airline for downgrading her from business class to accommodate a staff member, even though she needed it because of her disability.
Donna Carlson had planned to visit her daughter in Cairns and was already past security at Brisbane Airport when she was notified of the change on June 3.
She was advised at the time that the flight had been oversold and that she would either need to downgrade, wait for another flight or cancel and accept a refund.
Ms Carlson explained she needed the seats as she lives with Type 3 Achalasia – a rare disorder that affects the oesophagus and causes difficulty swallowing.
The condition has left the mother with a feeding tube through her nose, limited control of bowel movements and mobility issues due to malnutrition.
Ms Carlson said she needed better access to bathrooms and more space to reduce the risk of her feeding tube being dislodged.
She decided to cancel the trip as she was ‘distressed and completely humiliated’ outside of the business lounge.
‘I hadn’t seen my daughter for a year and I was really excited to be going to Cairns and I was in tears because of the frustration of being told by Qantas that they had overbooked the flight and nobody could help me,’ she told the Courier Mail.
A woman suffering from a rare oesophagus disease, Donna Carlson (pictured), has been left ‘humiliated’ after her business class seat on a Qantas flight were revoked last-minute
Ms Carlson had paid for the business class seat using frequent flyer points and was assigned that seat at check-in and given a wheelchair to help her get to the business class lounge.
Ms Carlson said that was when Qantas staff approached her and informed her about the change to her ticket even though they were aware of her condition.
Her husband Brian was furious that his partner was chosen to be pushed back to economy.
‘What we’re upset about… and to be honest, angry about, is that she was chosen when other passengers could have been chosen,’ he said.
‘All the airlines oversell flights, but they picked the one passenger who couldn’t be downgraded.’
Despite the airline’s staff knowing about the disease and that she needs business class to accommodate her needs, she was told her seat had been taken by technical crew (stock)
A Qantas spokesman said the flight had not been oversold and the seat was required for technical crew who need to travel on short notice.
‘We understand how upsetting this experience must have been for Ms Carlson. It should not have happened,’ he said.
‘We will contact her to apologise and discuss the matter further.’
It comes just weeks before the rollout of an overhaul to its frequent flyer loyalty program as the carrier seeks to refresh its image following a string of controversies.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Qantas for comment.
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