Viewers in tears after watching documentary on how differently-abled passengers are treated on flights

Channel 4 viewers have been moved to tears after watching a documentary showing how differently-abled passengers are treated on aeroplanes.

Sophie Morgan’s 'Fight To Fly' documentary, which aired on July 22, followed 17 passengers going undercover on flights operated by British Airways, Wizz Air and Ryanair.

Footage showed wheelchairs being broken, passengers being told they couldn’t fly as their wheelchairs were too heavy, and delays of up to an hour for crews to come to assist helping a passenger to get off a plane safely.

But what caused the most reaction from social media users watching the documentary was bodycam footage of a differently-abled man forced to drag himself down the aisle of a plane to use the bathroom on a Wizz Air flight.

Spencer Watts, who uses a wheelchair following a spinal cord injury, was flying from London Gatwick to Rome when he asked cabin crew if there was an aisle chair he could use to reach the bathroom at the back of the aeroplane.

After being told there was nothing crew could do to help him, viewers were left “angry” to see him lower himself to the floor and pull himself on the ground to the bathroom.

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“I had no option but to ask my fellow passengers on the side to move out of the way and drag myself along the floor and into the toilet,” Watts told the camera.

“It’s just embarrassing, and you feel very small. There are a lot people on this aeroplane that are looking at you like ‘what the hell is going on?’”

 As soon as the show aired, viewers shared their shock on social media platfrom Twitter/X.

“Sitting with tears watching,” posted one user. “My dad said he would never fly again after discomfort he had on a plane. Wheelchair users need access to transport that provides dignity and comfort.”

Another added: “Makes me angry that first class passengers can have beds and a bar....!! Yet disabled passengers can’t even use a toilet as they’re not big enough.”

A Wizz Air spokesperson said: “We were extremely sorry to hear about the experience these customers had on one of our recent flights. We would like to sincerely apologise, and thank them for bringing this to our attention.

“We understand the importance of wheelchairs for users and will always provide special assistance when requested for passengers who require it. Unfortunately, on this particular flight, there was no aisle wheelchair available. However, cabin crew offered their full support to passengers, with one passenger thanking a crew member on disembarkation for their assistance in carrying them to the rear toilet.

“We are in the process of having aisle chairs available on all of our aircraft, with 85 per cent of our fleet already having them available. We have also updated our onboard procedure in case of any technical faults, as we are constantly looking to improve our service. The safety of our passengers is our number one priority. Our guidance for special assistance can be found on our website.”

It’s not the first time that British tourists have been forced to make their own way to the bathroom on flights.

Jennie Berry’s TikTok video of her quest to use the bathroom on an AlbaStar airlines flight went viral in 2022.

And another X user shared: “My family have experienced this for years flying with our disabled daughter. However she tried to avoid going to the toilet unlike the passenger on tonight’s programme who had to crawl there.”

The 'Fight To Fly' documentary also showed a woman almost falling off an aisle chair on a British Airways flight, as they struggled to lift her off the plane.

“I was treated as cargo, not a person,” she said.

And to make matters worse, she later discovered that her wheelchair had been damaged while it was in the hold of the aeroplane.

Presenter Sophie Morgan has previously spoken out about how she’s had two wheelchairs damaged on other British Airways flights.

The Independent