A wheelchair user with an amputated leg was left feeling “as insignificant as anyone could possibly feel” when he was left waiting on a plane after landing at Manchester airport last month.
Actor David Judd says an “embarassed” Jet2 pilot had to come to his rescue to assist him off the aircraft once it became clear no special assistance staff were on hand.
Mr Judd, from Wakefield, had flown in from Almeria, Spain with his wife Amanda on 18 June when he was stranded on the aircraft as the other passengers departed.
The 54-year-old – who had his lower leg amputated after an accident in 2019 – says he has booked special assistance at Manchester Airport multiple times before with no problems.
However, on this occasion, around 30 minutes passed before Jet2 staff on the aircraft declared no assistance was on its way.
“The pilot came out and said there were no stewardesses left. Then radioed saying there was a guy still here. The other people who had special assistance – they could walk,” Mr Judd told Manchester Evening News.
“I had just come back so I couldn’t really put my leg on – so I really did need help.”
While the other special assistance passengers were able to disembark with some difficulty, it was clear airline staff would have to help Mr Judd off the plane.
“After 25-30 minutes, the pilot said he could push me on the ramp,” he says.
“They did get a wheelchair from under the plane, but there was no special assistance whatsoever.
“This was the pilot – the guy that flies a Boeing 737 – and he was pushing me in a wheelchair. I thought, ‘My God, how wrong is this?’
“He was so embarrassed; you could see it. You could really see it.”
Mr Judd did not name the airline whose staff helped him.
To make matters worse, he was then injured on the airport shuttle bus to the terminal.
“We got the bus back to the car park and I stood up trying to put my suitcases in, and the driver put her foot down. I fell back and hit my head and arm on the window.”
The negative experience has put Mr Judd off flying for the time being, and left him feeling “angry all the time”.
“You could say it made me feel as insignificant as anyone could possibly feel,” he says.
“We’re meant to be going away in September for an anniversary but I don’t really want to go. I really don’t want that feeling again.
“It’s been five weeks and I’ve been angry all that time. But I can’t be angry because this wasn’t my doing – and this wasn’t my fault – but it makes you feel like it’s your fault you have your leg cut off.”
